The Twice Caged Bird
by Bulba Fett
Summary: One, trapped within a cage, never to know the freedom of the outside world. One, with his wings clipped, never to know the freedom that the sky holds. Will they be enough to keep each other safe? Or will they need help from someone who walks in the light of the outside world, someone who holds the key to one of their futures? - Rewrite of The Caged Bird. NaruHina main.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 1: Deception

. . . .

"Yyyyaaaaawwwwnnnnn!" a little boy yawned as he woke up. The young child, no older than six, stood up from his bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He had bright blonde hair and had strange whisker like marks on his cheeks. As he woke up, the boy slowly opened up his startlingly cerulean blue eyes, unfocused from fatigue. He stretched his little arms and slowly walked over to his small kitchen.

Even though he was so young, the poor child lived alone in a small apartment in the red light district of Konohagakure no Sato. He had been alone ever since he could remember. The Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had told him his parents had died the night he was born, and despite his begging and pleading, Sarutobi refused to reveal their names to him. Not even the puppy dog eyes he would occasionally use on the elderly man would work. He'd always just use some excuse or try to change the subject. He knew the old man was hiding something from him, but the old man was the closest thing he could count as family. So he trusted the man to tell him in the future, even if he didn't like to wait.

Even if he felt alone, he didn't let it get to him. He was Uzumaki Naruto and he'd be Hokage one day! He'd show those villagers who looked at him with hatred and ignored him that he was someone special and should be respected. He'd be the best and strongest Hokage there had ever been!

After a breakfast of cereal and some fruit he got dressed in his normal street clothes. He wore orange shorts with a blue tee shirt. Over the tee he wore a thin orange sleeveless jacket. He never knew why, but the color orange just always had a way of cheering him up when he was sad, so he had taken to wearing a lot of it. He wore it so much that it eventually became his favorite color. He just left his pajamas on the floor with the rest of his stuff in his messy apartment and walked over to his window sill.

He grabbed his small watering can and started to water his little cactus plant, Kakutasu-chan. He smiled down at the little plant, taking note of the small pink blossom on it, due to bloom any day now. He always loved watering plants, it made him feel calm and he felt like he was raising them like his own little family in a odd sort of way. Shaking his head to clear it of thoughts of family, which would inevitably just make him sad, he put the watering can away, grabbed his keys, and his wallet named Gama-chan, and left his apartment.

. . . .

It was early morning and the streets were relatively empty. Naruto needed to hurry today with his daily routine and head home before too many people woke up. Today was the day of the Kyuubi Festival after all. An anniversary of the day the Kyuubi no Kitsune was defeated by the valiant sacrifice of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage.

And by extension, Naruto's birthday.

However, unlike most six year olds, Naruto was not looking forward to his birthday. He never had. There were no celebrations, no cake, only the occasional present from the old man, and there was definitely no friends or family to spend the day with. Just loneliness and for some reason, a LOT of angry villagers. As long as Naruto could remember, the villagers held nothing but contempt for him. He had no idea why, but wherever he went there were angry stares, muffled curses, people spitting at him, or people outright yelling at him to leave, or at the very worst, commit suicide.

It wasn't all that bad really, no one ever tried to actually hurt him. It was just the loneliness and isolation that got to him. Having no one to talk to, no one to play with, no one to lean on...is a traumatic thing for a six year old.

But on his birthday...it always got so much worse. His birthday was the only day where the villagers would actually try to harm him. They would always come at him in groups and try to break into his apartment or catch him on the streets. These people were usually just a group of drunken slobs that the little boy could out run and hide from easily. But last year was different. The groups were more organized and they were actively hunting him, and actually managed to catch him. He ended up in the hospital with his arms and legs broken and a severe concussion, among other less pressing injuries. He wasn't even safe at the hospital that day. If it hadn't been for the Anbu guards that the Hokage assigned to him that night, then fifteen villagers would have gotten into his room to finish what they started.

Even the doctors treated him with contempt. Only ever coming into his room to give him a small portion of food, and never to check on his health. Even with their terrible treatment of him he was still somehow able to fully recover in three weeks.

Naruto decided after he got out of the hospital that he would NEVER let himself be put in there again. He started making plans on what he would do on his birthday the next year and made several fail safes to make sure he never got caught again. And right now, he was starting to enact plan A.

The blonde boy raced down the streets of Konoha as fast as his little legs could take him as he went to his first stop. Ichiraku Ramen.

He walked into the small stand where Teuchi and Ayame were waiting for him. Teuchi was a very kind older man and always treated Naruto kindly. His daughter, Ayame, was the closest thing to a big sister that lonely blonde had. He told them the day before that he would be dropping by to pick up a big order of Ramen early in the morning, so that he wouldn't have to leave his apartment to get food until the next day, at least. They knew exactly why he was coming at five in the morning and had six extra large bowls of Miso Ramen with extra pork waiting for him to pick up.

When the two saw him they smiled sadly at the sweating child. "Alright Naruto, don't worry about pay. Today, your food is on the house. Happy Birthday, and good luck. You should hurry on back to your apartment. Oh, and don't you worry about the ramen getting cold. I used a trick a friend of mine taught me a long time ago to keep them from cooling off in the carrying case." Teuchi said to the small boy in a slightly rushed, yet also happy, tone. He ruffled Naruto's hair as the bond happily took the food and left with a hurried 'thank you'. Teuchi shook his head and sighed.

"What is our world coming to when such a sweet child is treated like a goddamn demon...no...a demon would be treated better…"

. . . .

Naruto raced back through the streets and into his apartment. He took the large carrying case off his back and set it on his table in the kitchen. He quickly started on the next phase of plan A.

He went over to his bed and started pushing it across the room. He pushed the bed up to his door and blocked it off. He continued to stack things up against the door until he was confident no one would be able to break in through his barricade. He didn't bother bracing the windows since he lived on the top floor of the apartment complex and no one he could think of would have a ladder tall enough.

He settled down in a small fort of pillows he made in the corner of the apartment away from the door and his windows. He looked at the container he had his ramen in and noticed a strange piece of paper on the side of it with some sort of strange writing he couldn't understand. He shrugged his shoulders, deciding to ignore it for the moment, and opened the container. His eyes widened and had stars in them as he saw what Teuchi-jiji said was true. Somehow the ramen didn't get cold and stayed fresh inside the container. He took a bowl out and started eating. He sat there thinking for a minute.

It was only seven in the morning...what in the world could he possibly do all day!?

. . . .

Three, agonizingly boring hours passed and he sat in his little homemade fort staring at the ceiling, kicking his feet in the air and humming to himself. After another ten minutes he stopped moving and just laid there. A few seconds past before he exploded. "I'M SO BORED!" he yelled while flailing his arms and legs. He got up, huffing angrily, and started pacing the floor. "What to do, what to do, what to do, what...to...do…" he started saying before he stopped and looked back at the take out container from Ichiraku's. He walked over to it and looked at the little piece of paper on its side. "Hmmmm" he hummed to himself as he leaned in, looked at it closer than he had before.

It seemed like the more he looked at it...the more he understood it. He started making out meanings of the odd little lines. He furrowed his brow just looking at it and concentrating on somehow translating it.

"...Contai...Contaimen...Containment...Se...Sea...Sal? Containment Sal? Why would we wanna contain Sal? Who the heck is Sal? No, wait...Seal...Containment Seal? That makes more sense...But what does that mean?" he said to himself as he continued to look at the seal. After an hour of concentrating on the weird scribbles, that he guessed was writing, his stomach growled. He stopped studying the seal and opened the container for another bowl of his addiction. However, when he got his second bowl out he noticed another piece of paper on the inside, and a note. He took out the note, opened it, and began reading.

" _Naruto,_

 _Happy Birthday! I'm so sorry you can't celebrate it like everyone else. The villagers are just big old mean pigs! Anyway. Hokage-sama showed you how to properly channel your chakra right? Well I've got a little surprise for you. Channel some chakra into the seal on the outside of the box. Trust me, you'll definitely like what's inside of it!_

 _-Teuchi"_

Naruto raised an eyebrow and scratched his head. "Inside?" he said to himself as he looked back at the seal on the container. He shrugged and put his hand up to it. "Rrrraaahhh!" he growled as he channeled his chakra into the seal.

As soon as his chakra touched the seal it popped into smoke and Naruto jumped back in surprise. When the smoke cleared he gasped. Sitting on the table next to the container was a small scroll and a pair of green goggles. But not just any goggles, they were the goggles he had been looking at, and wanting to be able to buy for over a year! His eyes blurred with tears as he picked up the goggles and put them on his forehead. "*Sniff* Thanks old man…*sniff*" he mumbled to himself as he started to cry a little. After a little bit he wiped away his tears and picked up the scroll. On the front of the scroll there was the kanji for something called Fuinjutsu? He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, before he decided that the old man wouldn't give him anything harmful, and finally opened the scroll.

Inside the scroll it said it was all about basic containment seals and storage seals. His eyebrows rose as he saw another weird drawing like the seal on the container and took in a breath when he figured out what the scroll was.

It was an instruction manual on how to put big objects into little drawings! Or at least, that's what Naruto's six year old mind came up with. He put the scroll down and started to eat the ramen he got out before it got cold. Once he finished he took the scroll back over to his little pillow fort, and sat down to start reading it. He was so enthralled by this so-called 'Fuinjutsu' that he didn't even notice the time flying by.

. . . .

When he finally looked up from the scroll he noticed the sun was beginning to sink as his stomach growled again. He got up from his comfortable fort and opened another Ramen. He sat down to eat and noticed something.

The halls outside his apartment weren't as quiet as they were before.

Before he could figure out what was making the noise, something crashed into his door. Hitting it hard enough to bend the door inward, moving his bed slightly. He dove for his fort and hid underneath a blanket. He held his hands to his ears to drown out the curses and constant banging at his door. He started to cry and shake as he heard more and more shouts come from outside. He looked over to his window and noticed the sun had finally set. He sat there crying for what seemed like hours before the shouting and banging stopped. He waited for another hour before getting up to look out his window.

But as soon as he did, a brick crashed through it, hitting Kakutasu-chan, making it fall to the floor, shattering. He jumped back to avoid the shattered glass and ran back away from the window. Tears began to fall down his face again as he heard the shouting and cursing coming from outside. He walked over to a small part of his apartment wall. The wall looked a little off compared to the rest of it.

The piece of wall was removable and led to a escape route he made three months ago. He was shaking and started edging closer to his escape route. That was, until a voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Oh, is the little Demon scared?"

Naruto looked over to the broken window and his eyes widened as tears spilled down his cheeks from fright. There crouched on the window sill was a shinobi wearing the standard Konoha Chunin uniform. He wore a blue bandana that held his Konoha Hitai-ate. The bandana covered shoulder length grey hair and his face was set in a sneer. "Don't worry, little Demon. I'll put you out of your misery."

But before he could make a move to attack Naruto, the boy dove through his fake wall and dashed through his escape route as fast as his little legs could take him.

"Oh ho! The Demon wants to play tag? Alright then Demon, I'll play!" the shinobi said as he jumped back out the window and followed Naruto at a leisurely pace.

. . . .

Naruto's escape route took him into one of the many training grounds that surrounded the village proper. It was getting very close midnight and he could barely see where he was going. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was escaping the voice taunting him as he ran. "Yes! Run little Demon! Run as fast as you can! But it won't matter for long. Tonight, Demon, you pay for the pain you've caused! I'm going to kill you, and I'm gonna do it real slow, too. Just so you know what it feels like to suffer like we did all those years ago!" the voice yelled, finishing with a maniacal laugh that seemed to carry throughout the forest from every direction.

Naruto was starting to breath heavily, both in panic and fatigue, but was still moving as fast as he had been when he first began to run. Which was shockingly fast for a six year old.

He made it to a large clearing with a small stream and three thick wooden posts stuck into the ground. The voice sighed irritably. "That's enough running for you, this just ain't fun anymore..." it said as Naruto felt a sharp and intense pain shoot through his leg. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain. He fell face first into the ground and skidded forward several feet, as a result of how fast he was moving. He continued to whimper in pain as he looked down only to see a kunai sticking out of his thigh. Tears of fear and pain ran down his face as he began to hyperventilate. He started crawling away from the voice frantically, trying to ignore burning pain in his leg long enough to gain more distance.

He HAD to survive! He was going to become Hokage someday. He was going to show everyone he wasn't a demon. He still needed to hear about his family from the Old Man. He just couldn't die here!

He stopped moving when a shuriken stuck into the ground in front of him. He paled when he saw the chunin from before stand in front of him again. He started shaking again, whimpering quiet 'I'm sorry's' and 'Please don't hurt me's'.

The Chunin just got a sinister grin on his face when he heard him beg and plea. "Oh, the Demon doesn't want to die huh? Well too bad you little fucker!" The Chunin yelled as he kicked the boy while he was down, rolling him onto his back with a bloodied nose. "You should have thought of that before you attacked Konoha, and killed so many fucking people!" he roared as he pulled another kunai from his holster. He brought it up above his head and gave a crazy smile and laughed maniacally.

"NOW DIE!" The man shouted in a crazed glee. Naruto flinched, his hands coming up to protect his face as best he could, his head turning away with his eyes shut tight, waiting for the end to come.

But before his attack hit the poor child he was stopped.

"Hakke Kusho! (Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm)" a new voice suddenly shouted out, stopping the man's laughter cold. Less than a second later, the crazed Chunin was knocked away from Naruto by an invisible force and bounced, spinning rapidly across the ground painfully until he hit a tree. He slid down the tree in a boneless heap as blood ran from his head and his twisted limbs.

Naruto stared at the man with wide eyes before another person made themselves known. "Oh Kami! Are you alright!" the voice said with concern. Naruto looked to the new man, rushing towards him. He had long dark brown hair and eyes so pale they almost glowed in the dark. He had what looked to be a bandaged wrap on his forehead and looked over Naruto with a careful and concerned gaze. Naruto shakily nodded before he finally fainted from blood loss.

. . . .

When Naruto next woke up, he was in a room he didn't recognize. He slowly sat up when a pair of hands gently pushed him back into the bed. "Don't try to move yet dear. You were really hurt and need your rest." a kind feminine voice said to him. Naruto looked to the woman who was sitting next to him in confusion.

Like the man that had saved him, she had long dark brown hair and pale eyes. Her facial features were soft and slightly rounded. Also like the his savior, she had on a bandage wrap over her forehead, holding her bangs out of her face. She smiled at him and put a hand on his arm for comfort.

"Don't worry dear, you're safe now. You're in my house. My name is Hyuuga Mina. My husband Hizashi found you in the woods and said that you were hurt. You've been asleep for about seven hours now." Mina said to him in a calming and sweet tone.

Naruto nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Mina-san" he said with a parched throat. Mina smiled at him and gave his arm a light squeeze.

"Why don't I go get you something to drink?" she said as she stood up and started to leave the room, sending him one last look to make sure he was really okay.

As soon as she left the room, not three seconds later, an elderly man walked in. He had short grey hair and a kind smile. He also had pale eyes, however, unlike the last two people he had met with the same eyes, the man was without the bandages on his forehead. "Hello, little one. How are you feeling?" he asked in a kind tone.

Naruto smile slightly. "I still hurt a bit, but I'm alright I guess." he responded in a still dry voice, his thoat beggining to throb from the lack of water.

The elderly man nodded slowly in response. "Well, can you tell me who your family is so I can go tell them where you've been?" he asked the blond, noticing instantly that the boy's expression took a turn as a frown crept onto his face.

"I don't have a family…" he mumbled casting his eyes away from the man in front of him in something akin to shame.

The old man took a concerned breath as he heard the boy's words. "Oh, well I am so sorry to hear that, little one. It must be painful to live alone." he said to the boy.

Naruto hesitated for only a moment before he nodded in agreement. "It really is…" he said as tears came to his eyes.

The old man raised a hand to Naruto. "Oh, don't cry little one. Say, how would you like to join our little family? We have plenty of room and would be happy to have you." he said with a smile. Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at the man.

"Really?" he breathed, hardly containing his happiness. The old man nodded with a big smile. Naruto beamed happily and as he nodded quickly. "Yes! Yes I'd like very much to join your family!" he said eagerly. The elderly man laughed jovially at Naruto's eager tone.

"Then welcome to the Hyuuga Clan. Naruto." he said to the boy. Naruto raised an eyebrow, at the man. How could he possibly know his name? Naruto hadn't ever told him it.

Naruto's eyes widened in horror as the old man's smile turned from warm and kind, to evil and sinister, saying one single phrase.

"Brand him."

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued….**

 **Bulba Fett: Alright! I finally got around to doing this! Nothing much changed in this chapter, just some basic editing and paragraph restructuring, along with a few added lines of detail that was needed to make the flow more interesting :3 Bet some of you can already tell that the structuring is A LOT better than the original (Thank god for that, I read through the original 11 chapters and YIKES! I hate myself a little for that)**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see you next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 2: Trapped Within The Cage

. . . .

" _Brand him."_

. . . .

Naruto shook in horror as three new men walked into his room. One of the men was holding a small paintbrush in his hand, while another was holding a jar of green ink between his palms. The third had his hands fixed in the Tiger seal, brows furrowing in concentration as he chanted something under his breath. The old man who had initially talked to Naruto stepped closer to him and painfully jabbed the blond in the forehead with his index finger. Immediately after, Naruto's body locked up, nothing moving except his eyes, which swept back and forth across the room frantically, trying to make sense of what was going on.

He tried to scream, but all that came out of him was a choked groan as he strained his voice against whatever was keeping him from moving. He tried to struggle and move away from the man with the paintbrush but his efforts were futile as the elderly man dipped the brush into the green ink and began to draw on Naruto's forehead.

The paint felt cold to his skin but the uncomfortable feeling of the ink stopped when the man finished painting on him, and an unimaginable pain quickly replaced it as the man who was chanting shouted the last words of his verse and the seal on the blonde's forehead began to glow. Naruto was finally able to find his voice, his screams echoing throughout the house. Tears fell freely down his cheeks as the pain just seemed to intensify with each subsequent second of agony.

After hearing the screams Hyuuga Mina hurried back to Naruto's room to find the poor boy all alone lying on the floor with blood running from his nose in a slow but steady stream as he occasionally twitched. She gasped and put her hands to her mouth when she saw the Caged Bird seal glowing softly with a menacing light on his previously unblemished forehead. She hurried over to him so she could roll him onto his side to keep him from drowning himself when he started to relieve himself of his stomach contents in violent spasms. The boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he finally lost consciousness.

Mina however, was racking her brain about what had just happened. "No, no, nonononono, please, no, not him. Oh Kami-sama. Why!? Why this child? This poor child doesn't deserve this curse…" she said as tears came to her eyes watching the boy's body convulse from the spontaneous seizures. It was at that moment Hizashi returned from informing his brother that he had found Naruto in the forest and brought him home with him to heal him.

He walked into the room to see his wife crying and the boy he had just saved writhe in pain next to her. He rushed over to check the boy and his eyes widened in shock. "What!? How in the hell did that damned seal get placed on him!?" he said in disbelief and looked to his wife for an answer. She just shook her head and tried to hold back a sob.

"I-I-I...I just left the room for just one s-s-second t-to-to get him s-s-s-something t-to d-d-d-drink and...and I-I-I heard him screaming...I-I came back and…" she stopped talking to hold onto him like a lifeline and sob into chest. He stroked her hair speaking soft, comforting words to her in an attempt to calm down the slightly hysterical woman. He looked down to the poor child and grimaced when he thought of what his brother and the Hokage will think of what happened here.

. . . .

' _Drip'_

Naruto's eyes twitched but remained closed as he barely registered the sounds of dripping water.

' _Drip'_

The boy groaned in annoyance as the sound only continued and increase in volume.

' _Drip'_

Finally having enough with the sound his eyes shot open as he quickly sat up. But when he did he almost fell back down from the sudden pain he felt in his head. He looked around and noticed he was no longer in the small room he was in before. His eyes widened as he observed his surroundings.

He was in what appeared to be some sort of large, primarily red, sewer. The pipes were large and leaking at a consistent rate, causing the dripping noise as well as the sewer to be flooded with ankle deep water.

The blonde slowly stood, fighting off the pain in his head. He put his hand on the damp wall to his right and began to walk through the sewer. The halls were dark and damp, and he had no idea where he was, much less where he might be going. But something seemed to call to him as he slowly made his way to a strange warmth in the cold, wet, and dark sewer.

After walking for what felt like hours, he finally came across a fork in the halls. One hall leading to the right, and another leading to the left. He looked down the path on the right and noticed that it had a gate blocking the way with a small piece of paper hanging from one of the bars. The paper looked like the one that was one the Ramen Container that Teuchi gave him, but it had some subtle differences. Naruto didn't investigate the seal any further however, as just looking at it caused the pain in his head to increase further with every second spent pondering it.

He then looked down the left path and noticed a dull orange light at the end of it, and reveled in the warmth seeping down the hall, and into his frigid bones as it beaconed for him to come towards it. The blonde slowly made his way to the hall, and continued at a cautious pace down the pathway.

It seemed the more he walked, the further away the light seemed to become. He walked until his legs ached and then some, until he was just about ready to collapse. But as soon as he was about to fall he found himself at the end of the tunnel.

He looked into the spacious room that had seemingly no ceiling and his jaw hung down in wonder. There were small torches that lit up the room along the walls as well as an ornate spiral pattern that wound its way across the walls. He slowly walked into the center of the room, the water level rising to knee depth, as he started at the massive construct in front of him. His eyes slowly widened as he took in the massive gate before him. He looked up to where the lock should have been, and instead noticed a much larger piece of paper on the lock that he recognized was inscribed with the kanji for 'Seal'.

He took a few more steps further until he heard a quiet growling noise. He stopped, tilting his head to the side to listen closer. It wasn't much of a growl really, it was more like a slow and gentle outward breath, similar to one people released when they were sleeping. He looked further behind the gate in curiosity and noticed that there were no torches inside to light up. The only thing he could see was about the first ten feet of water inside of the cage. He took one final step closer to the bars, causing the now hip deep water to slosh loudly from his sudden movement. Naruto froze as the methodical breathing halted abruptly as a lone, red eye with a slit pupil opened from inside the darkness of the cage. The eye seemed to almost glow red as it searched for the source of the noise before finally settling on Naruto.

The blonde heard a subtle growl as the slit pupil eye narrowed angrily at him. Then a deep and rumbling voice emanated throughout the large room, echoing off of the walls and seemingly shaking the cage bars despite being at a low volume.

" **So, my jailer finally decides to grace me with his presence. What is it you want, human?"** the voice growled menacingly at the blonde. Naruto gulped as he saw a flash of startlingly sharp, shiny, white teeth appear underneath the red eye that seemed to stare into his soul. Naruto tried to speak but his voice just caught in his throat as he finally felt the sheer presence of the being before him. It was overwhelming, as if someone had put a cinder block on his chest and then proceeded to stand on it. He was struggling for a single breath while openly gaping at the being before him.

The creature growled loudly at the boy. " **Speak you insignificant human scum! Or has my presence caused your raisin sized brain to break? Well, what is it you want, you whelp!?"** it roared at the blonde, creating a strong gust of wind that pass through the room, almost knocking the poor blonde over.

Naruto looked up at the being trembling in fear. He was finally able to find his voice, stuttering, but still speaking. "W-W-W-W-W-W-who...Who a-are y-y-you?" he said barely louder than a whisper.

The being narrowed its eye dangerously at the boy and looked at him closely for a moment. Its eyes moving up and down his small frame, taking in every aspect of his person, till it rested on Naruto's eyes and growled. " **So the idiotic humans decided to not even tell my jailer of my magnificent presence? What worthless scum you humans are…"** the voice rumbled as the eyes seemed to move closer to the cage before entering the light.

Naruto's breath caught in his chest as he got his first glimpse at the enormous being behind the bars of the cage. The creature was massive, easily larger than any building he had ever seen, and the size of its head alone could be compared to the stone heads of the Hokage monument.

It was a massive fox with a burnt orange coat of fur and strange black markings covering its eyes and leading to its ears. The fox gave the blonde boy a feral grin filled with razor sharp teeth.

" **I am the Kyuubi no Yoko! Bask in my presence mortal! For when I am free of this prison you will be the first to feel my wrath as I rip you limb from limb and devour you!"** the fox roared angrily at the boy, this time successfully sending the boy flying through the room. Naruto landed in a heap and slowly sunk in the shallow water. Before his head could go under he slowly caught himself and began to stand again. He looked back up at the fox in a mixture of awe, fear, and confusion.

"H-How can you be here? I-I thought that the Y-Yondaime k-killed you?" he said to the fox in a frantic whisper.

The creature growled again at the boy and narrowed its eyes. " **Is that what you mortal filth believe is what happened?"** it said to the blonde before it snorted at the very idea. " **As if someone as weak as the Yondaime could possibly even hope to kill a being as powerful as I. Me, the most powerful of the Bijuu, killed by a mere mortal man? Spare me."** it said with a evil chuckle. It lowered its head down to look at Naruto directly. " **Tell me human, do you know why you are here before me?"** it asked the scared child. Naruto shook his head in denial, not trusting his voice. The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed as it scoffed and turned away from him. " **It figures you human scum would want to forget my very image. After all, I did do…'evil acts towards the Human race'..."** it said in a mocking tone, almost seeming to curl it's lip in disdain. It snorted and shook its head. " **Well, whelp. I am here because that weakling Yondaime was forced to use his cowardly Fuinjutsu on me to seal me within your pathetic body, or I would have destroyed that puny village of yours."** it snarled as it laid its head down on its front two paws.

Naruto furrowed his brow in thought of what the Kyuubi just said. He looked down as he began to think. When he finally came up with the conclusion to what he was thinking of, he looked back up at the Kyuubi. "S-so...the...the reason no one likes me...is...is because they think I'm you?" he asked meekly as his eyes filled with tears. He sniffed and looked down again before another thought came to mind. "I...I guess they're right...I am a monster...I don't deserve a family…" he said as tears began to fall freely.

The Kyuubi's eyes widened as he saw that the boy began to cry. Its eyes narrowed when he heard the muffled words of the child. To think, humans who usually care for their Kits more than their own lives, would ostracize one of their own for being the Jailer of the mighty Kyuubi no Yoko? The Demon scoffed at the thought. It looked back at the child before releasing a silent sigh and closed his eyes.

" **Please child. As if a being as frail as you could ever hope to be like me."** it said in an annoyed tone. Naruto looked up at the Kyuubi with a confused look on his face, seeing the fox snort indignantly again before it continued speaking. " **You humans must be stupider than I thought was possible if they believed you were anything like me. I am an all powerful demon made of pure chakra. While you...you are nothing but a frail child that had the misfortune to be chosen to house a being such as myself."** it said with its eyes still closed. Its right eye opened slightly before it sighed. " **Leave me child. Your presence here is disturbing my slumber."** it growled lightly at the boy.

Naruto's eyes were wide with shock. He didn't know why...but it was like the foxes words had consoled him somehow. He had stopped crying, and now he almost felt...relieved. Relieved that at least one...person?...saw him as a child, and not a demon or monster. The faintest hint of a smile crept onto Naruto's lips before his image began to fade. "Thank you...Kyuubi-san…" he whispered before he completely faded from the sewer-like area.

The Kyuubi scoffed one more time before its features softened. " **You are...intriguing...for a human."** it grumbled before it fell asleep once more.

. . . .

 **Nine hours earlier, one hour before Naruto was attacked**

. . . .

"So, would you like to run this by me again, Kimura-san?" Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage growled as he glared at the councilman in front of him.

Kimura Kazuto, the elected representative of the Civilian council to relay their decisions or requests to the Hokage himself, gulped in a moderate amount of fear before nodding to the Shinobi Professor.

"W-We of the civilian council, have deemed the safety of one ward of the state, Uzumaki Naruto, unfit for unsupervised living. So, as within the powers of the civilian council over all civilian state wards, have issued Uzumaki Naruto out for adoption. And, after doing so, found the Hyuuga Clan as the best option to raise the child within a safe environme-" the man tried to explain once more to the Hokage before the elderly man interrupted him by slamming his palm onto the top of his desk.

"And why was I not told of this sooner!?" the Hokage roared at the man, making him shrink back as he involuntarily released a small amount of his killing intent due to his rage.

Waiting a moment to see if the Hokage would calm down long enough to hear the him out, Kimura finally continued with his explanation.

"W-well, you see Hokage-sama. It is the Civilian Councils duty to care for any and all civilian wards of the state in whatever way we see as the best choice, so after the incident on the child's last birthday we decided to-" he was again interrupted by the aged shinobi before he could finish what he had to say.

"That 'child', isn't a _civilian_ in any way, shape, or form. He is the Village's greatest source of power as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko. Which, we decided on the day we received him would not be put up for adoption to any Clan as it would shift the balance of power from the Hokage to the Clan head of said clan. So...why in the hell would the _Civilian Council_ think it was within their right to tamper with a possession of the military!?" The Hokage roared out as he stood from his seat to stare at the man directly in the eye.

Shaking in fear, the councilman made the daring choice of trying to explain himself. "B-because, Hokage-sama...you made the order yourself." he said simply, making the Hokage freeze in confusion. "Y-you see sir, two years ago, when Uzumaki Naruto was ejected from the Konoha Orphanage, you decreed that Uzumaki Naruto would no longer be considered an asset to the military, but as a citizen of the state. So that he could receive the benefits that you yourself gave him through the Civilian Councils job to care for the unwanted children of the village after the Kyuubi incident. His yearly stipend of Ryo, his home, and the occasional ANBU guard are all apart of these benefits. Had he been given these necessities through your power alone the other villages could have easily identify our Jinchuuriki as a child, infiltrate the village, and kill the boy. We would not want that, especially with the war with Kumo right now. So, the Council took it upon ourselves, as is our legal right, to give the boy a home to keep him safe."

Hiruzen stared at the man, his glare intensifying as he went on with his explanation. Sitting back into his seat behind his desk, the old Hokage took out his pipe, lighting the tobacco within with a small amount of Katon chakra, and took a deep drag before continuing. "And I am to assume you already have the boy's own consent, and since you of the Council are technically the boy's legal guardians, you have the signatures of all the council along my own, or two or more of my own personal advisors?"

Hesitantly nodding his head, Kimura continued, showing documents filled with the necessary signatures, as well as Naruto's thumbprint, made in the boy's blood. "Yes, Hokage-sama. The Council was in unanimous agreement on the matter. We also received the signatures of Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, as well as Shimura Danzo. I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but the matter is already passed. I am just here to inform you that Uzumaki Naruto, now Hyuuga Naruto, is no longer in the care of the Council." he said before giving the man a deep bow, and promptly leaving the room.

After the man left, Hiruzen turned his chair to look out to the window's behind him, taking another deep drag from pipe before sighing heavily. Shaking his head, he brought a hand up to gently rub on his temple, trying to ease the steadily increasing headache he was forming.

"Inu, Neko, Karasu, I have a mission for you…"

. . . .

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times when he was assaulted by a bright light that shone through the curtains of the room he was in. He slowly sat up as he clutched his still aching head and took in his surroundings. He was sitting on a very uncomfortable cot in a small room that looked like an abandoned shack. In one corner of the room there was a small sink, a toilet, and a full body mirror. There was also a small dresser made of broken wood sitting under a small window, and a small closet without a door.

He looked to the door of the room and noticed that it was nothing more than a sheet thrown over a rail to cover the opening of the room. The ground was bare, dry dirt. Naruto slowly stood from the cot and walked over to the sink. He breathed a sigh of relief when he turned the handle and had running water. He slowly limped his way over to the mirror to get a better look at himself and froze when he saw his reflection. He had bags under his eyes and the eyes themselves were bloodshot. Dried blood covered his face, and he looked like he definitely needed a shower. But that wasn't what caught his eyes. What did catch his attention was the odd light green painting on his forehead that almost seemed to be a tattoo. There were two lines leading towards the center of his forehead where they met a symbol that appeared to be a swastika tilted on it's side. He touched the symbol tentatively and felt the pain in his head increase slightly, so he lowered his hand, deciding to leave it alone. He looked around and noticed he didn't have a shower in his shack so he walked back to the sink and washed off his face.

When Naruto finished washing his face and hair of blood, he walked over to the drawer and opened it to see what was inside. There was three pairs of simple white shirts and grey trousers. Next to them were a worn out pair of black shinobi sandals. He looked at the clothes he was wearing, and noticed the dried blood stains, and tears all over them and decided to change.

Strangely enough the sandals and pants actually fit quite well and the shirt was only long in the sleeves, causing them to flare out over his hands. Once he was fully dressed, he walked over to the 'door' of his room, stepping out into the October morning cold.

When Naruto opened the curtain door and stepped outside he was met by the last voice he heard before he passed out. "Ah, so the Demon finally awakens." an elderly voice says, contempt and hatred heavy in his voice. Naruto spun around to look at the old man who had first spoken to him the night before.

"I'm not a demon you old fart!" he yelled at the Elder. The man sneered at the blonde and held up a half tiger seal. Naruto suddenly felt a searing pain flow through his body as he doubled over clutching his head, letting out choked screams.

"You will learn respect, filth. And you will address me as Kouen-sama." the elder snarled. He lowered his hand slowly and Naruto's pain ebbed, leaving only a dull ache behind. Naruto slowly stood back up from falling to his knees. He took a shaky breath and looked up to see the cruel and savage glare of Kouen.

"W-Why am I here?" Naruto asked in a pained voice. Kouen smirked evilly at the boy and leaned down to look him in the eye.

"Well, filth. You are now a part of the Branch Hyuuga Family. From this day forth you are to serve the Main House until your dying breath, or face a pain worse than any death you could hope for. Do you understand?" he told the boy as a sinister smiled spread across his face. Naruto shook his head.

"N-no, I don't understand." he said to the elder, only to receive more pain as an answer. When the pain passed the elder held him up off the ground by the collar of his shirt and snarled at him.

"You will follow my orders, and any other orders that come from the Main Family, do you hear me filth!?" he growled at the boy. Naruto nodded quickly, trying hard to breath through the man's grip.

The Elder smiled wickedly and dropped him. "Good, now follow me. It's time we get you acquainted with the compound." he said as he turned and started to walk away.

Naruto slowly stood and began to follow after the man. As they walked, Naruto several steps behind, Kouen explained Naruto's duties to the clan. "You are to follow any and all orders that you are given by any of the Main Family. You are to not speak unless spoken to, and you are to not seek out conversation with anyone else of the Branch Family. You are to not leave the house that you were provided, unless you are ordered to, or you are accompanied by a Main House member. And finally, it is your duty to protect the Main Family at all costs, even if it means putting your insignificant life in harms way. Do you understand me?" the man ordered to the small boy, without even turning to look at him.

Naruto nodded quickly. "Y-yes Kouen-sama…" he said, meekly looking at the ground. Kouen looked at him with disgust and activated his seal. Naruto clutched his head in pain and fell to the ground, but it passed as quickly as it came.

"Louder!" Kouen growled at the blonde.

"Yes Kouen-sama!" Naruto said in a pained, albeit louder voice. Kouen smirked evilly and nodded. "Good, even if you are nothing but dirt under our boot, you are still a Hyuuga, and will show the strength and loyalty of a Hyuuga. Now, your first task is to help care for the Main House's Garden and help the Branch members clean the Main Estate. Now get to work. And remember, you are not to speak unless spoken to." he ordered and waved the boy off to do his work.

Naruto nodded and quickly went over to where a few Branch members were working in the large gardens.

Naruto's eyes widened when he saw all of the flowers and plants that were in the gardens. He had never known so many different colored plants existed. There were flowers that were purple, pink, blue, red, almost any color he could think of. But the most prominent of the plants to Naruto were the pure white lilies. Naruto walked over to one of the watering cans that were unattended and started watering the beautiful flowers. He couldn't help the slight smile he wore while he watered at trimmed the plants. This was simply the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. One of the other Branch members saw his reaction to the gardens and smiled at him.

"You must really like those flowers, to smile like that." she asked the boy. Naruto turned to her and was about to respond, his mouth half open, until he remembered the rule Kouen told him about conversation. The Branch member quirked her eyebrow when the boy simply clamped his mouth shut and nodded vigorously in response. She just smiled when she saw the sparkle in his eyes as he looked at the plants around him. "You can talk to me, I was the one to start the conversation, after all. We all know the rules that surround you, whether we're Branch of Main Family." she said kindly to the boy as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "My name is Hiroki, it is nice to meet you Naruto-kun." she said to the blonde.

Hiroki had short bobbed brown hair and a kindly smile that made Naruto fidget slightly in embarrassment. "I-it's nice to meet you too, Hiroki-san." he said to the older woman. He was half expecting for there to be pain after he spoke, or for Hiroki to insult him like all the other adults he had met, even before he was brought here, but she just smiled at him with so much warmth that Naruto was thrown for a loop.

"Welcome to the family Naruto, although, I wish the Elders would be even just a bit more fair with you." she said sadly to the blonde. Naruto looked at her and then to the other two Branch members that were in the garden. They too had the sad, pitying look towards the blonde, which him a little nervous about asking his next question.

"W-what do you mean? The Branch members aren't treated like me?" he said nervously. Hiroki nodded sadly.

"Yes, we have a lot more freedom than you do, sadly. It's just not right what the Elders have done to you, and the entire Branch Family has your back, even if we cannot directly voice our discretions to the Elders." she said, as she placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. The blonde quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Why can't you say what you want to?" he asked in curiosity, looking confused. Hiroki sighed and reached up for the bandage covering on her forehead. She removed it and Naruto gasped.

"All of us in the Branch Family bear these accursed seals. They would cause the same pain to us that you felt earlier, if we try to do anything that they don't want us to." she said, frowning slightly in sadness. She slowly stood up, picking up her watering can and hedge shears. "Now come along little brother. We need to keep working so we can get to cleaning the Main Estate." she said with a kind smile and returned to tending the plants.

Naruto looked at her as a slight blush grew slowly on his cheeks. It was the first time someone other than the Hokage or the Ichiraku's had ever truly treated him kindly. And even in the situation he was currently in, he couldn't help but feel a little happy.

. . . .

Another two hours passed before Hiroki and the other Branch members brought Naruto with them to the Main Estate. Hiroki showed Naruto to the dojo that the Main Family would use for indoor training and exhibition matches between the select few members that the Main Family has. She handed Naruto a cloth rag and a bucket of water and directed him to start washing up the dojo for a demonstration that would be put on later that day. Naruto nodded and diligently got to work.

It took about an hour for Naruto to finish cleaning the dojo on his own but once he was finished, it was spotless. Hiroki came back, and told him he did a good job and to follow her so they could get to the next part of the house. This time, he was needed to help clean the outdoors dojo. He had to help them sweep the leaves that had gathered over the night before away, before the Main Family came out for their afternoon training. Once they were finished the sun was beginning to near the middle of the sky, indicating it was starting to noon. Hiroki told him that it was time for lunch and to directed him to follow her out of the house.

But while they were leaving the house they encountered another Branch Member leading a little girl, no older than Naruto, to the outdoors dojo. Hiroki smiled and bowed to the little girl and Naruto quirked an eyebrow at her before following her lead.

"Good afternoon Hinata-sama, I hope Ko-kun is treating you well." she said with a mischievous eye directed at the Branch Member who was escorting the little girl. Ko was a tall and lean man with long brown hair and a bandage covering over his forehead like all of the other Branch members.

Ko blushed at Hiroki and stood to attention. "O-of course I'm treating Hinata-sama well, Hiroki-chan." he said nervously. Hiroki giggled at the man and looked down to Hinata. The shy little girl had opted to hide behind Ko's leg while stealing glance towards Naruto. Hiroki smiled warmly and patted Naruto on the shoulder. Naruto looked up at her and she nodded.

He gulped and looked back at the two Hyuuga before him. He bowed again to the two of them. "H-hello, I am Na-" he started to introduce himself before he fell over in utter pain as he clenched his head tightly. Ko and Hiroki jumped back slightly and looked over to see Kouen standing on the other side of the hall, his ever present scowl plastered on his face.

Hinata gasped and looked terrified as she hid behind Ko's leg. She looked to the poor boy on the ground writhing in pain letting out muffled screams. Tears came to her eyes and she turned to look at Kouen walking over to them.

"How dare you even try to speak with Hinata-sama you filth! You are forbidden from ever even thinking of speaking with Hinata-sama!" he growled at the boy and increased the pain, causing Naruto to scrabble at his forehead frantically, small cuts opening as his nails scraped at the skin that was covered by the seal. A few seconds passed before Naruto fainted from the pain. Kouen spat on the boy before looking at Ko. "Get Hinata-sama to her lesson now. And you," he said looking sharply towards Hiroki with voice that almost seemed to drip with venom and anger. "Wake this filth up and have him back to his duties. He is to not have lunch today as punishment for his mistakes ." Kouen growled and stalked off.

Hiroki's hands clenched into fists, tensing the muscles in her arm, as she watched the man walk off from the group as Ko tried to calm Hinata down. As soon as Kouen was out of sight Hiroki kneeled down to Naruto's side. She checked his vitals quickly, and sighed in relief. He was just unconscious, not dead. She was amazed, though, that he hadn't perished. The amount of chakra and force Koen put into the boy's seal would have killed any other child his age, and likely could have killed many adults as well. She rolled Naruto over onto his back and gently shook him. "Come on Naruto-kun, wake up. We need to get you out of here." she said gently as she tried to shake him awake.

Hinata came out from her hiding place behind Ko's leg and looked at the unconscious boy. Ko put a hand on her shoulder and started to lead her away from the two. "Come on Hinata-sama, we need to get to your lesson." he said in a sad tone. Hinata looked back as she was lead off before looking up and Ko.

"Ko-niisan, w-who was that boy? And why did Kouen-sama h-hurt him like that?" she shakily asked, still in shock from what she saw. Ko sighed and tightened his grip on Hinata's shoulder slightly.

"He's someone you need not concern yourself with, Hinata-sama." he said sternly to her. She looked back one more time.

"B-but.." she tried to say before Ko interrupted her.

"I'm sorry Hinata-sama, but it's for the best that you don't try to get close to him. It'll only cause him more pain, now, and in the long run."

. . . .

"Naruto-kun...Come on Naruto-kun wake up...Oh Kami-sama...Help! Please someone help! He won't wake up!" Hiroki yelled as she began to shake Naruto's unresponsive body, trying to get him to wake up. Activating her Byakugan and checking his vitals, she noticed something off in his chakra network. There was a small flare of Red chakra growing in his stomach as his own Blue chakra seemed to gather around the Red chakra. Hiroki shook her head and looked around to see where the nearest person was. When she spotted another Branch Member she quickly picked Naruto up and rushed him to them.

"Hold on little brother. It's too early for you to leave us…"

. . . .

For the second time in his life, Naruto found himself back in the sewer like area. He slowly opened his eyes before sitting up, again fighting off the pounding pain in his head. He looked around and noticed he was in the Kyuubi's chamber once again. He slowly started to stand, only to have the pain in his head intensify and send him back into the water covered ground.

Upon hearing his Jailer splash around in his presence, the Kyuubi slowly opened his right eye. He looked down to see the little Blonde Whelp writhing in pain clutching his head. Normally, the Kyuubi would have been reveling in the pain of others, laughing at their misfortune and how weak they were. But this was his vessel. If his vessel was in pain it probably meant trouble for himself. He looked closer at the boy and noticed a strange green light glowing faintly on his head. His eyes narrowed as down the sewers hallway he noticed a similar green light at the other end of it. The Kyuubi growled lightly as he sent a flux of chakra towards the light to investigate, only to feel a massive amount of pain flow through his body once his chakra touched the light. The Kyuubi snarled and flinched away from the green light. He watched while growling as the light slowly dimmed until it finally disappeared. And as soon as the light left, the child in front of him finally stopped shaking in pain.

Naruto felt the pain finally leave him and decided to sit instead of stand this time. He slowly propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head lightly. He shakily looked up to the cage before him, meeting the Kyuubi's eyes that were fixed on his own. Naruto could see the foxes anger and hatred flow through his glowing red eyes and flinched back away from its gaze.

"Why...why does everyone look at me like that…" he mumbled to himself, thinking he was unheard. However, with the Kyuubi's advanced senses, and massive ears, he was able to catch the child's words. He eased off on his glare as he was shocked by the boy's words. Tears pool into the boy's eyes as he lifted his knees up to his chest. He began to softly cry to himself barely over fifteen yards away from the mighty Demon sealed within him.

The Kyuubi, not knowing what to do, just looks at the blonde boy with a look of suspicion and curiosity. He leaned his head down towards the boy and bent his ears back. " **Why do you cry Human?"** he growls to the boy. Naruto refused to reply and just curled his legs up even tighter. The Kyuubi looked at the boy for a few more moments before baring his teeth at the boy. " **I said! Why are you crying you pathetic Human scum!"** the Kyuubi roared at the child. This time however, Naruto responded, almost violently. His head snapped up at the Demon as tears ran freely down his face, his eyes hardening in the demons sight.

"BECAUSE MY LIFE IS A LIVING HELL! AND I DON'T KNOW WHY! EVERYONE LOOKS AT ME LIKE I'M A MONSTER! THEY HATE AND ABUSE ME FOR SOMETHING OUT OF MY CONTROL! I HAVE NO FAMILY AND I'M ALL ALONE! AND WHEN I DO GET A FAMILY I CAN'T EVEN TALK TO THEM WITHOUT BEING TORTURED! WHY DO YOU THINK I'M CRYING, BAKA KITSUNE!" he screamed at the top of his lungs as his tears streamed down his face even faster than before. After yelling to his heart's content, the boy slumped back into his knees, holding himself as he silently cries.

The Kyuubi actually reared back when the child yelled at him. For the first time in the beast's extremely long life, someone had yelled at him, not with hatred or malice, but in a voice filled with pure sadness and pain. The fox looked at the boy while he wept quietly to himself and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy run through him. He knew all too well what it felt like to be hated, to be utterly alone in a violent and cruel world. And for this world to be turned loose on a mere human child with nothing but his will and wit to defend himself with, shook the demon to his very core.

The Kyuubi lowered his head down to look closer at the boy. He sighed as his gaze softened. Naruto heard the beast sigh and looked back up to it. " **You aren't alone child…"** The Kyuubi said to the child before him.

Naruto sniffed lightly and looked at the Kyuubi with confusion in his gaze. "W...What?" he asks innocently to the Demon before him.

" **I said, as long as I am here, you are not alone. I can sympathise with you child, and that is not something easily done. We are both hated for ludicrous reasons and now we are both bound to a cage, never to be free again. So, as long as I am here with you, you will never be alone."** he said to Naruto in a calm, yet sad tone.

Naruto had no idea what was going on. Was the Kyuubi no Kitsune being...nice to him? He didn't know if what the Kyuubi was saying was true, or even meant to be comforting, but Naruto couldn't help but stop crying as a small smile crept onto his face.

"T..Thank you..again, Kyuubi-san." he said to the fox.

The Kyuubi merely closed his eyes again to return to his slumber, but before he fell into sleep he opened his right eye slightly. " **Call me Kurama, Kit. I may not be able to stop or remove that seal on your head. But I can and will fix anything that they do to you. You have earned my respect and sympathy human. Do not lose it."**

And with that Naruto faded from the sewers and returned back to the harsh world of reality.

. . . .

When Naruto's eyes opened for a second time that day it was again in the same, rundown shack that was designated to be his new home. He lay on his cot, covered with a woolen blanket and a damp cloth on his forehead. He let his eyes roam around the room, trying to figure out how he got there. The last thing he remembered before speaking to the Kyuubi...no, speaking with Kurama, was that he felt the sharp, driving, indescribable pain in his head again and passed out in the hallways of the Main Estate. His eyes traveled around the dimly lit shack until they finally fell on two people looking at him with concern.

"Thank Kami-sama you're awake!" Hiroki exclaimed in glee. She had a broad smile on her face as a few tears fell down her face. Next to her, Mina, the woman who had helped him with his leg, leaned forward and replaced the cloth on his forehead with a new one.

"We had thought we lost you little one." She said with a sad smile. "No matter what we did you wouldn't wake up. And when we tried to use our Byakugan to see what was wrong, we were blinded by a crimson light. Do you know what was going on?" she asked in a kind tone.

Naruto hesitated for a moment. He didn't know what they would think of him if they knew about Kurama. He didn't want to see those kind faces, that held so much love in their eyes, turn into the faces he was so familiar with. Faces of malice, disgust, and fear, with nothing but hatred in their eyes. He wouldn't be able to handle it if they changed, because right now, he didn't know if anyone else would look at him like this anymore. But, he also didn't want to lie directly to their faces, either. It didn't feel right to him. He didn't want to deceive them when they had been so kind to him.

He was about to tell them the truth when Kurama's voice rumbled through his mind, stopping him in his tracks, " _ **Do not tell them, it will not turn out well…"**_

Heeding Kurama's warning, Naruto said, decisively, "I...I don't know…" The two Hyuuga women didn't look all that convinced that he was actually telling them the truth, but they didn't press him for answers.

They already knew what he was...WHO he was. They knew full well that he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko. But they were also decent enough people to know the difference between a scroll, and the kunai sealed within. So they let his little lie go, confident that, when he was ready to tell them, he would.

Mina smiled at him and gave his arm a little squeeze. "It's alright then, Naruto-kun. Why don't you get some more rest, I'll bring you some food in a minute so that you don't have to worry about getting up. Hiroki will be waiting here until I get back, and she might stay after. Is that okay with you?" she said to the little boy. Naruto nodded hesitantly, still a little weary of her because of the last time she had 'left' him to get something. After something so traumatic like that, he became just a little less trusting of people leaving to get him things.

Mina smiled and left the shack to get him something to eat. Naruto laid there in his cot for a few moments before his stomach growled loudly. " _That's right...I haven't eaten anything yet today…"_ he thought to himself as Hiroki couldn't help but giggle at his embarrassed face, which was starting to grow slightly red from blush. She smiled at him and shook her head.

"You know by the sound of that stomach of yours, it's like you haven't eaten in days." she giggled jokingly. He smile faded when she saw the grimace come across the boys face.

"I haven't…" he mumbled to himself while pulling his blanket up slightly.

Hiroki tilted her head a bit. "What?" she asked the boy.

Naruto hesitated for moment but spoke up. "I haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon." he said meekly. Hiroki's eyes widened as she gasped lightly.

"Oh..uh...I-I'm sorry about laughing…" she said trying to to find a way to cheer the little blond up. And then she smirked. "Tell ya what, why don't I make you lunch from now on? I could bring it over here and eat with you everyday. Does that sound alright to you?" she asked with a bright smile.

Naruto's eyes widened and began to water. A light blush came across his six year old face and he nodded sheepishly in agreement. She smiled at his embarrassment and put a hand on his arm. "Don't worry Little Brother, Onee-chan is here to look after you."

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued...**

 **Bulba Fett: Wow, this one needed a lot done to it. I decided to scrap the whole council meeting altogether and replace it with something else. I honestly hope that it is satisfactory to those who don't understand how/why the Hokage let them get away with this, and if it isn't, a little suspension of disbelief never hurt anyone? Fuck, I've read stories where Hiruzen is actually a bad guy trying to fuck over Naruto's life. If that can be written and have very little backlash on the author, I think this would be fine :/**

 **Anyway,**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 3: From One To Another

. . . .

 _Naruto's eyes widened and began to water. A light blush came across his six year old face and he nodded sheepishly in agreement. She smiled at his embarrassment and put a hand on his arm. "Don't worry Little Brother, Onee-chan is here to look after you."_

. . . .

After making their promise, Mina returned with a plate full of Onigiri. She wasn't alone though. Next to her holding onto her hand was a little boy, only about a year or so older than Naruto. The boy had long brown hair like most of the other Hyuuga, but he too had the bandages across his forehead like all the other Branch Members.

He was looking at Naruto with a curious gaze before looking up at his mother. "Kaa-san, who's that? He isn't a Hyuuga, is he?" he asked innocently as he tugged lightly on her hand. Naruto shrunk back into his cot, nervous about the new person in his 'home'. Mina smiled softly at the little boy and gave Naruto a happy smile and placed the plate of food next to him.

"Well Neji, from today on, he is a Hyuuga. So be nice to your new little brother, okay?" she said in a soft voice to, the now named, Neji. Neji narrowed his eyes at the boy slightly before nodding to his mother. The boy looked Naruto up and down, seemingly sizing him up. Mina gave him a playful glare. "Neji…" she said to the boy in a warning like tone. The boy stiffened before bowing slightly.

"It's nice to meet you. My name's Hyuuga Neji." he said to Naruto in a rushed voice as he gave a few quick glances at his mother. Mina smirked at the boy and looked over to Naruto. The little blonde had a nervous look to his eyes as they darted between Neji, Mina, and Hiroki. Mina raised her eyebrow in slight confusion before Naruto's eyes glazed over slightly. She narrowed her eyes at him and was about to talk to him before his eyes turned back to normal.

"I-it's nice to meet you too Neji. I-I'm Naruto…" he said in a meek tone as he looked down to the floor, holding onto his blanket with a grip tight enough to make his knuckles turn white. Mina and Hiroki shared a glance and looked back at the boy. He was shaking slightly and visibly kept himself from looking at them.

Hiroki leaned forward and gently put her hand onto Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" she asked softly. Naruto jumped a bit and sniffed. He brought up his hands and quickly wiped his face.

"S-sorry. I-I'm fine. Just...happy." he said as he looked up at them with a smile that seemed to radiate with warmth and an unmatchable kindness and eyes that threatened to have tears spill out of them. The smile blindsided the two women and they had to blink a few times before they smiled back to the boy. Neji stood there with a raised eyebrow in confusion from the boys strange antics.

The Hyuuga clan was famous for their ability to read the emotions of people by just simply looking at their face, and the whole barrage of emotions that had gone through the boy in front of him confused him. Naruto had been scared at first. Then he became nervous, and then...he didn't know. The boy's face became an unreadable mask that startled him for a moment before the boy became embarrassed and finally introduced himself. And then, his emotions pulled the fastest 180 the seven year old Neji had ever witnessed. His emotions had turned from inconsolably depressed and lonely, to a blindingly bright happiness whose smile could make a blind man smile. Neji's automatic conclusion about the boy was that he was emotionally unstable and strange, someone to keep an eye on.

Mina stood up suddenly and took Neji's hand. "Come on Neji-kun, it's time to go. Naruto, enjoy your food and I'll be around later tonight to check up on you." she said in a hurried tone as she forcibly lead Neji out of the shack.

Naruto and Hiroki look at the two as they hurry out and just shrugged. "Alright Naruto, you should eat before you faint from hunger." Hiroki instructed the blond. Naruto nodded with a smile and picked up one of the rice balls Mina brought him.

But as soon as he took a bite he doubled over in pain. Hiroki gasped and turned to the door when she was stopped by a deep voice. "I thought I told you that he would not be receiving any lunch today Hiroki...Now, what do you think you are doing?" Kouen asked in a terrifyingly calm voice with a sinister glare leveled straight towards her.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry Kouen-sama. I-I-It's j-just he hasn't e-eaten in a-almost two days. H-he needs food to b-be able to-AAAAAAHHHH!" she screams as Kouen lazily brought up his hand and activated her seal. He let her suffer for a few seconds before calling off the pain.

"I don't want to hear your petty excuses. If I ever catch you going against another one of my orders again I will not hesitate to torture you before I kill you. Do. You. Understand. Me!?" he growled at her as he grabbed her by her hair to look her in the eyes. Tears streamed down from Hiroki's eyes from the pain as she nodded. He threw her down onto the ground and snarled. "I can't hear you!"

She shakily sat up and bowed to him while on her knees. "Yes Kouen-sama!" she cried as she started to shake slightly.

The Elder smirked evilly at her. He kicked the Onigiri onto the ground before he turned towards the door. "Hmph, you'd do best to learn your place and never challenge my orders again, girl. You aren't the only one I could punish…" he said cryptically as he walked out of the shack.

Hiroki looked over to where Naruto was still writhing in pain on the floor. She crawled over to him and held him to her gently stroking his hair, muttering soft and comforting words. It was another five minutes before his seal finally stopped glowing and the boy's pain subsided leaving him just as unconscious as he was before.

Hiroki had tears streaming down her face as she held onto the small boy. "D-don't worry...Naruto-kun...Onee-chan is here…"

. . . .

When Naruto next woke up it was night out, and he was alone in his shack. He slowly got up from his cot, his stomach aching from lack of food. He walked to his small window next to the 'door' to his shack and looked out to the sky. It was a clear night and the stars were out. The moon was reaching its zenith, signifying it was nearly midnight. His stomach growled violently and he went back to his cot. As he started to lay down he heard a noise from outside his shack. He looked back to his 'door' just in time to see the curtain be pushed aside and a tall man with a dog mask and black cloak walked into the small shack. Naruto shuffled back in his cot as fear started to rise in the small boy.

The man in the mask held up his hands in a submissive way. "Woah, Naruto-kun. Calm down, calm down." the man said gently. He knelt down next to the boys cot and pulled out a scroll as well as a small package. "Here, these are for you Naruto-kun. Hokage-sama sent me to deliver these for you." he said in a calm tone as he slowly placed the scroll and parcel down on Naruto's cot, trying to keep Naruto from freaking out. He slowly started to back away before Naruto's voice stopped him.

"W-wait…" he said in a quiet tone. Inu stopped and looked to the boy. "Hokage-jiji sent you?" he asked the Anbu. Inu nodded and Naruto continued. "S-so he knows they made me join?" he asked again. This time the Anbu clenched his fists and shook his head.

"No Naruto, they legally adopted you. However, do you remember ever signing any papers before they placed that seal on you?" Inu asked the frightened boy. Naruto shook his head 'no'.

"They just put it on me when I woke up. I was being chased and had a kunai stab my leg. I was saved by someone though. I think his name was Hizashi." the boy said to the Anbu while giving a cautious look to the scroll and parcel.

Inu let out a sigh and shook his head in disgust. "I swear if I ever get my hands on that bastard Kouen…" he mumbled to himself before he felt someone tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Naruto holding onto his cloak.

"D-Did Jiji say if I could leave? I don't like it here. Kouen-teme is mean and hurts me for no reason. Can I go home?" he begged with eyes filling with tears. Inu took a shaky breath before he let his emotions get the better of him. He grabbed Naruto into a strong hug and stroked the blonde's hair.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun. We can't take you from them, not yet. I'm so sorry…" he said over and over again. Naruto was shocked at first when the Anbu hugged him, but after hearing his words he finally let all of his pent up emotions he had been holding out and cried into the man's chest.

It was strange. Being able to cry into someone's embrace was something the boy had never felt before. It felt...relaxing, in a way. Like all of his worries were being washed away as he vented out his tears.

After a long moment that felt like hours the two separated. Naruto sniffed and wiped away his tears and looked up to the masked Anbu. He started to say something before his stomach growled loudly, filling the quiet area with a deep rumble. Inu chuckled lightly and pulled out a wrapped bar of what appeared to be food.

"Here," he said to the boy. "It's a ration bar. It should fill you up enough to last you till morning. It doesn't taste that good, but it'll keep you full." he said to Naruto as the blonde took the food with a nod and a quiet 'thank you'. Inu stood up from the ground and silently walked over to Naruto's dresser. He pulled out a slip of paper and opened the bottom drawer. He place the slip of paper onto the bottom of the drawer and held up a half tiger seal. He mumbled something under his breath, muffled by his mask to the point Naruto couldn't make out what he said, and a slight glow came from the paper. Naruto looked over at the glowing paper and noticed the strange markings on it reminded the him of the storage seals that were on the Ramen Container. His eyes widened as he watched the Anbu peal the paper off of the drawer and reveal that the seal had transferred onto the wood of the drawer as if it were always apart of the wood.

"There," he muttered before turning back over to Naruto. "I believe you know how to use a storage seal, right Naruto-kun?" he asked Naruto, who in turn nodded in agreement. "Well good then. I put a storage seal on your drawer there so you can seal the scroll and parcel into it when you're done with them, okay?" he said to the boy. Again Naruto nodded an affirmative to the Anbu. Inu nodded back to the boy. "Super. Alright then Naruto, I need to leave before anyone notices I'm here, and you need to get some sleep. Eat the bar and go to sleep. I'll seal up those for you now. Check them out tomorrow night, and only when you know no one is watching you, alright?" he instructed the boy.

Naruto nodded before handing the scroll and parcel over to Inu. He placed them into the drawer and applied some chakra into the seal. And with a poof of smoke, they were in the seal. Naruto was still amazed that little drawings like those could do such a thing. Inu walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be back again some night. I'll be bringing more scrolls and other things Hokage-sama wants you to have. Is there anything you want to tell him?" he asked the boy. Naruto thought for a moment and looked up at him sadly.

"I miss him...and I want to go home…" he said to the Anbu. Inu shook his head and hugged Naruto one more time.

"Alright, I'll tell him. Now eat up and get some sleep." he said before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

. . . .

Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting in his office, smoking from his wooden pipe. It was nearly two in the morning and the elderly man was wide awake with worry. It had been three hours since he had sent Inu out to deliver the items to Naruto and come back with a situation report. By all means the Anbu captain should have been back by now. He sat there for a while longer, contemplating sending someone after him. But before he could decide on what to do Inu appeared out of the shadows of the room. Hiruzen sighed in relief when he heard Inu report in.

"What took you so long Inu? This should have been a quick in and out mission for you." the Hokage inquired, worried. Inu knelt before his Hokage and bowed his head.

"He was awake when I arrived Hokage-sama...he needed someone to lean on for a few hours…" he said in a quiet tone, trying to mask his emotions. Hiruzen, however, was able to catch the slight hitch in Inu's voice and sighed sadly. The elderly man slowly sat into his chair and shook his head.

"Take off your mask, Kakashi. I want to talk to you normally." he said to the Anbu in front of him. Inu nodded and removed his hood to reveal spiked silver hair that leaned to the side, defying gravity as it stood up in the air. And when he removed the mask, he showed the face of a man in his early twenties, wearing a second mask that covered his nose and mouth. He had a scar over his left eye and kept it closed while his right eye was half hooded in a lazy manner.

His name was Hatake Kakashi, Copy Cat Ninja of Konohagakure no Sato, and soul survivor of the team lead by the legendary Kiiroi Senkou, the now dead Yondaime Hokage.

"How is he Kakashi?" Hiruzen said in a tired tone as he took a long drag from his pipe. Kakashi closed his one eye and sighed deeply.

"He's scared Sarutobi-sama. He's scared and alone, it makes my blood boil just thinking about it…" he growled as he tightened his hands into fists. He let out a frustrated sigh and took a few breaths to calm his rage. Hiruzen nodded sadly. But Kakashi didn't stop there. "They relegated him to an old, run down utility shed. All he's got to his name right now is a set of clothes and a ragged blanket. I swear, if the order to take that bastard Kouen out ever comes, it better be myself, or Naruto who gets the privilege of gutting that slime." he ranted on as he stood and paced in the office. Hiruzen nodded along with him, listening in for important parts of Kakashi's out of character rant. "If it wasn't for the branch members treating him like he's actually a human, like they should, I swear I would have already gone off the deep end and killed the bastards!" he raged while Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow.

"Karasu said it was the Branch Members who caught Naruto and gave him over to the Elders, why would they treat treat him well?" he asked with a curious tone. Kakashi shook his head in denial.

"They're just as appalled by all of this as we are. Yes, they took him to the Hyuuga Compound, but they did it so they could treat his injured leg. Apparently he was being chased by a Chunin and took a Kunai to the leg before Hizashi arrived and saved him." Kakashi clarified to the Hokage. Sarutobi nodded along and sighed.

"Is there anyone who is openly treating Naruto like a person? Or are they all under Kouen and the other elders nose, keeping themselves out of trouble?" he asked his Anbu captain. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes there are a few of the Branch Members that are openly helping him out. Hizashi's wife is one of them, Hyuuga Mina is her name, I believe. There is another woman who seems to inadvertently taken Naruto in as a brother. Her name is Hyuuga Hiroki. But it seems just about every member of the Branch is sympathetic to him. They just aren't confident enough or willing enough to voice their support." Kakashi explained to Sarutobi. Hiruzen smirked at this and nodded.

"Good this could work in our favor then…" Hiruzen mused as he stroked his beard.

Kakashi narrowed his eye at Hiruzen. He didn't like the tone his Kage was using. "What do you mean Sarutobi-sama? How could Naruto being trapped by a group of sadistic bastards work in 'our favor'?" he asked with a little bite to his tone. Hiruzen straightened slightly and shook his head.

"No, no. Sorry, I can word that better." Hiruzen started. He sighed and took a drag of his pipe. "What I meant was, that if Naruto can gain the favor of the Branch Family, and maybe some of the Main Family, we can possibly have them overthrow those damn Elders. I don't just want to free Naruto, I want to cut the head off of the snake that started this all. Kakashi, I don't know if you were able to figure this out or not, but from Neko's reports, Hiashi-san actually has very little influence within the clan, almost no influence, really. He puts up a strong front and holds a commanding image, but behind it all is a man trying to keep what's left of his family alive. His wife was the last one to go against the elders...and now Hiashi-san is a single father with two vulnerable daughters that can be used by that bastard Kouen." he confessed to the Anbu captain.

Kakashi's eye was wide as he shook his head. "So the rumors were true...Hitomi-sama didn't die from childbirth...Those bastards! Hokage-sama, why can't we just kill them and be over with all of this!?" Kakashi raged as he stood before the Hokage. HIruzen looked down and sighed deeply. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"If it were only that easy Kakashi…" He said tiredly. He looked back up to his Anbu Captain with sad and tired eyes, eyes that showed just how old the man really was. "Kakashi...if we could just kill them I would have just marched up there and did it myself...but it isn't that simple." He started he stood up and walked over to the large windows behind his desk and stared out over his village, the village he had lead for over forty years, and for a second term as Hokage. "What do you think the other clans would think if we had the leading members of one of the great clans of Konohagakure executed? Things are already on shaky grounds with the Uchiha, with the potential rebellion, and I fear that this whole incident will only push them even further down the dark path they have gone down, and I believe that they will act soon. I want to get to the bottom of this, and see if the Hyuuga were acting alone, or if even they are under someone's orders. Not only that, but the news of Naruto being taken by the Hyuuga seems to have only made the majority of the village happy in some sick and twisted way." Hiruzen said as he looked out over his beautiful village. He shook his head and turned back to Kakashi.

"And you know what Kakashi? For the first time in my life I am truly ashamed of my village. The things our people, who I have worked so hard to teach them to learn and live by the Will of Fire, have broken that code and abandoned their greatest hero and the memory of the one who had saved them. It makes me sick that they would even think to do such a thing, much less actually do it...I don't even know if I can say I love my village anymore." he said in an utterly depressed and defeated tone.

Kakashi looked down to the floor and closed his eye tight. It pained him to see his Hokage in such a weak and defeated manner. He looked up to the man like his own grandfather, hell, most of the Shinobi of the village did. But to see their leader in such a saddened state, caused by the very village he was sworn to protect and that he loved so dearly, crushed what little emotion in his heart he had left. Kakashi kneeled before his Hokage, placing his mask once more on his face, he placed his fist upon the ground as he bowed his head to his leader and surrogate grandfather.

"What will you have me do Hokage-sama?" he asked in a gravelly tone, both eyes now open showing the dull red glow of the Sharingan in his left eye through the ANBU mask. Hiruzen sighed at sat back into his chair and rested his elbows on his desk. He tapped the ash out of his pipe and looked at Kakashi with newfound determination.

"Anbu Captain Inu." He said in a commanding tone.

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

"Your mission is to start a propaganda campaign to have Naruto-kun gain the favor of the Branch Family and assist them in gaining the confidence to stand up to the Elders. You are to also continue your mission in observing Naruto-kun and running scrolls, parcel, and messages between myself and Naruto-kun. Now, bring these scrolls to Naruto once you see he has progressed enough in what I have already given him. You are dismissed." he ordered as he placed two scroll on his desk for Kakashi to take with him. Kakashi took the scroll and bowed before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Hiruzen turned his chair to face out towards his village as the determined look in his eyes hardened. "Don't worry Naruto-kun. I have not abandoned you like this unworthy village has."

. . . .

After Naruto ate the ration bar, which he had to agree with Inu that it tasted terrible, he laid back down in his cot and fell into a dreamless sleep.

It was early morning when he was finally woken up by a Branch member to take him out on his daily duties. Naruto tiredly got up and washed off his face. He walked out of his shack and was greeted by the Branch member.

"Hello Naruto, I believe we've already met. But incase you have forgotten, my name is Ko." the Hyuuga greeted him with a smile. Ko was off his normal duties of watching over Hinata for the day because she was to be with her father to prepare for the ambassador from Kumogakure that would be coming in about three days. Since she was with her father and his group of servants, he was unneeded for the day and was assigned to watch Naruto and instruct him on what he would be doing for the day.

Naruto nodded to Ko, a little nervous about the man, since the last time he saw him he ended up unconscious on the floor of the Main Estate. Ko nodded back to the small blonde. "Alright then, follow me. I heard from Hiroki-chan that you liked working in the gardens, so I pulled some strings and got you to work in the gardens for the rest of the week." Ko said over his shoulder to the boy as he lead him back to the gardens. Naruto's eyes had small stars in them as he thought about getting to work in the gardens all week and looked at Ko in a better light now that he had done such a favor for him.

" _ **Kit, I don't think I'll ever understand your infatuation with plant life…"**_ Kurama yawned in Naruto's mind, making the boy nearly jump from surprise. He was about to say something before the fox stopped him. " _ **Remember brat, I told you yesterday that all you need to do is think and I will hear you."**_ Kurama drawled lazily as to keep Naruto from blurting out when nobody said anything to him.

" _Oh! Sorry, I forgot. And for your information Kurama-san, I just like the idea of taking care of flowers. It's like I'm raising something I guess."_ he thought to the fox. Kurama hummed in an indifferent manner.

" _ **Eh, I guess it makes sense. No one to take care you, so you like to take care of other things. I can understand that."**_ he said offhandedly. Naruto nodded in satisfaction that Kurama could understand his love of flowers and gardening. Now all he needed to do was convert the fox to the worship of the Ramen Gods. Then everything would be A-Ok between the two of them.

Ko had his eyes on the blonde, even if Naruto didn't know it, and was slightly confused by the boys nods and quiet hums. He couldn't go further with those thoughts, though, as they had arrived at the Hyuuga Gardens. Naruto saw Hiroki working with some petunias and smiled brightly at her. She saw him and Ko walking over and waved them down with a wide smile. Naruto ran over and she gave him a quick hug and a watering can.

She ruffled his hair and smiled to him. "Go nuts, kiddo. But be careful to not over water them." she said to the positively beaming blonde. Naruto nodded vigorously and got to working. Hiroki smiled at her 'little brother' and turned to Ko.

She gave him an appreciative smile. "Thanks Ko-kun. You have no idea what this means to me, or him." she said in a thankful tone. Ko blushed lightly before averting his gaze from her enchanting eyes.

"D-Don't worry about it Hiroki-chan. I-It was the right thing to do." he said as a burning blush covered his face. Hiroki laughed into her hand and shook her head.

"Gods Ko-kun. You can be just like Hinata-sama sometimes with how easy to tease you are." she giggled.

Ko's blush brightened a bit before he turned away from her. "I-I should g-get to my o-own duties. I-I'll come get Naruto when he's done. I'll s-see you a-around Hiroki-chan." he said before he went off to do whatever he was assigned to do for the day. She put a hand on her hip and shook her head at him.

"That man, I swear. I'll get him yet." she said to herself before she got back to her work.

. . . .

" _ **So what kind of plant was that again?"**_ Kurama asked lazily as Naruto moved to another patch of flowers.

" _Chrysanthemums, they represent life at ease."_ he explained to the ancient fox.

Kurama hummed. " _ **Do 'they' have any use other than looking 'pretty'?"**_ the fox asked in a half serious half mocking tone. Naruto narrowed his eyes and grumbled about grumpy old foxes and how they don't understand the importance of flowers. Kurama had been asking about all the plants he was watering and questioning if they had any uses other than just being in a garden. Naruto honestly didn't know if they did but didn't care. They looked beautiful and that's all he needed to know.

" _ **I heard that."**_ the fox snickered as Naruto blushed a bit and continued to water the flowers.

As he worked neither him nor Kurama noticed the little Hyuuga girl, who had slipped away from her duties, watching him with a curious gaze.

. . . .

When it was time for lunch Hiroki called Naruto over to her and some of the other gardeners for lunch in the garden's pavilion. Naruto was nervous about meeting more adults from the Hyuuga clan, but soon fell into a comfortable silence as he listened to them talk amongst themselves and ate his food. There were two other female gardeners and a male gardener.

One of the women seemed to be in her late thirties and had long wavy brown hair, and her name was Hyuuga Mira. The other was a little younger, maybe in her late twenties, and had braided brown hair that reached down to the small of her back. She also had a smile that could disarm the most lethal of Shinobi, she was Hyuuga Michiko. The male was what seemed to be a sickly older man with short, greying hair. But past his looks he had a hearty laugh that made Naruto smile, as well as reminded him of how Hiruzen-jiji would sometimes laugh. He was Hyuuga Tora, and he was very nice to Naruto and seemed to always have a smile plastered on his face.

After about an hour the group packed up their uneaten food and empty containers and got back to working in the gardens. Kurama had a few choice words about the, 'oddly kind humans' but Naruto droned most of that out as him being a grumpy old fox and nothing more. As Naruto walked back into the gardens he noticed Ko walking over to him and giving him a small wave.

"Hey Naruto-kun. How are you doing so far?" he asked in a kind voice. Naruto smiled brightly to him.

"Good." he replied quickly. He had started to get the feeling he was being watched and decided to play it safe and speak as little as possible, in case it was Kouen watching him for any slips of the tongue. Ko smiled and nodded to.

"Okay, I was just coming by to check up on you. I'll come by to pick you up at about five to take you back home alright?" he informed the boy. Naruto nodded in response and Ko ruffled his hair before turning to go talk to Hiroki for a minute. Naruto looked around but couldn't find out where he was getting that feeling of being watched from.

" _ **Ah, don't worry about it Kit. I don't sense any malice coming from the person watching you, so don't let it get to you. It might be that ANBU from last night. He did say he'd be watching over you and reporting back to that Old Monkey."**_ Kurama informed the six year old and Naruto shrugged his shoulders and went with it. He decided he could trust Kurama to tell him if he was in danger or not since if he was in danger, the fox was too.

A few hours passed before the sun started to set and Naruto finished watering and tending to the plants. He went over to the sundial on the garden patio and saw that it was about four thirty. He had another thirty minutes before Ko would pick him up so he decided to find a spot to sit and hangout. He looked around the garden and saw a large tree with a good amount of shade and a small wooden swing on it. He decided to go over there and enjoy his time waiting.

When he got to the swing he pouted as he noticed it wasn't made for play so he sat down next to the tree and closed his eyes. And like that he was out like a light.

. . . .

Twenty five minutes later, Ko walked into the gardens and looked around for the little ball of blonde hair. When he spotted him by the tree sleeping he smiled and started walking over. But then that smiled turned into a surprised frown when he saw someone sitting a few feet away from him. "Hinata-sama!?" Ko whispered, as not to wake Naruto up. Hinata let out a quiet 'eep' as she jumped away from Ko. He pulled her a little further from the sleeping blonde so he could talk to her.

"Hinata-sama what are you doing here?" he asked in a quiet voice. Hinata looked down and started pressing her fingers together.

"F-Father told me I-I didn't need to be at the meeting today s-so he said I was f-free to do as I p-pleased." she said shyly to her older brother figure and personal bodyguard. Ko narrowed his eyes at the little girl and shook his head.

"And let me guess. He and the Elders thought you didn't need a guard with you?" he asked the young heiress. She nodded slowly and Ko sighed in irritation. "Alright...why were you watching Naruto-kun though? I thought I told you not to get involved with him?" he asked Hinata as she started to blush from embarrassment.

She continued to press her fingers together and was willing her shy self to answer. "W-W-Well...I-I thought he was a bad person s-since you told me not to get c-close to him. S-so I thought I should s-see if he was a b-bad person. But I don't think he is though. Anyone who likes flowers this much can't possibly be a bad person." she said and finished with a confident look in her eyes and didn't stutter when she said what she felt about the boy with a look of confidence in her eyes that Ko had rarely seen these days.

Ko smiled sadly before putting his hands on Hinata's shoulders. "Listen Hinata-sama. Naruto is a very good and kind person. But, for a reason I cannot legally say, the Elders despise him greatly. I told you to stay away from him not to make you think he was a bad person, but to protect the both of you. You remember what happened yesterday when Kouen came and saw Naruto with you?" he asked in a quiet and kind tone. Hinata slowly nodded and Ko continued. "Well, they don't want him to talk to you, or be seen with you. They'll hurt him if they catch him, and I don't want that to happen." he said sternly to the little girl. Hinata had a confused look on her face as Ko told her this.

"Why d-do the Elders not l-like Naruto-kun? I-Isn't he a nice person?" she asked innocently. Ko shook his head and sighed.

"I cannot say Hinata-sama. It is not my place too. Now, you best hurry back to the estate so I can get Naruto-kun home." he said as he gently ushered her out of the gardens.

Little did either of them know that a certain blonde had listened in on their conversation.

. . . .

After Ko escorted Naruto back home Mina showed up with dinner for him. She couldn't stay with him however, since she had her own family to feed. So Naruto was alone in his shack to enjoy the meal Mina had brought him. As he ate he thought of what he should do for the rest of the day and had the creeping feeling of the boredom that he would have to endure for the rest of the day. Until Kurama made a comment on what he could do.

" _ **You should probably see what those things that human brought you are."**_ Kurama offered to the boy. After hearing the Fox's offer he quickly snarfed down his food and went over to the storage seal in his dresser. Kurama confirmed no one was in the area so the little boy quickly unsealed the parcel and scroll and set them down on his cot. The first thing he opened was the small parcel. He opened the bag and peered inside.

And when he saw what was inside a few tears fell down his cheeks. He reached inside the bag and pulled out his goggles. The green goggles he had gotten from Teuchi two days ago for his birthday. He held the goggles close to him, and cried for all he was worth. It was the first 'real' gift he had ever gotten and he didn't think he would ever get to see them again. He strapped the goggles to his forehead and could feel an indescribable warmth come from them that made him smile.

He reached back into the bag and and found the scroll on Fuinjutsu that Teuchi had given him along with another slip of paper with a storage seal on it. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the seal and decided to see what was inside. The seals configuration was slightly different than the others he had seen but decided to continue with it anyway. He channeled a bit of Chakra into the seal, and it released a poof of smoke. When the smoke cleared Naruto gasped.

It was Kakutasu-chan!

He went over and placed the little cactus plant on his dresser under the window and smiled at it. Somehow it seemed like it was properly repotted after it was knocked off his window sill by the Chunin who had chased him and apparently had been watered as well, its small pink bud in full bloom. He sat back down on his cot and opened up the scroll that was with the parcel and his eyebrows instantly shot up.

Inside was instructions on chakra exercises and the three basic Academy Jutsu. The Henge, Kawarimi, and Bunshin. "Wow…" was all he could say as he read through the scroll. " _Why would Jiji send me this? I wouldn't be learning this till I got to the Academy…"_ he thought.

" _ **I think that Old Monkey is planning something...perhaps he wants you to be able to defend yourself? I don't know what he's planning but I believe that the more power you have, the easier we will be able to resist this damn seal."**_ Kurama growled. Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" _What do you mean by that Kurama?"_ Naruto asked the fox. Kurama huffed and thought for a minute.

" _ **Kit...I want you to look at that scroll completely, just look at it, you don't have to read it."**_ the Fox instructed. Naruto shrugged and rolled open the scroll and looked through all of the contents.

" _Alright, now what?"_ he asked, waiting for instruction.

" _ **Now look at the Fuinjutsu scroll."**_ Kurama instructed to the blonde. Naruto looked through the Fuinjutsu scroll as well and silently waited for Kurama to tell him what to do. " _ **Alright, now. I need you to come back into your Mindscape. You remember how to do that right? Just try to sleep while willing yourself into the seal."**_

Naruto nodded and resealed the scroll into his dresser and laid down on his cot. He closed his eyes and thought about the Sewer like place he had met Kurama in and slowly faded off to sleep. And when he woke up he was in Kurama's room.

" **Alright child, let's see if this works…"** Kurama mumbled before he closed his eyes and appeared to be in deep concentration. After a few moments the jutsu scroll Fuinjutsu scroll appeared before Naruto on a small table. Naruto jumped back, when the items just appeared and noticed something, there was no water in the room anymore and it seemed...brighter...and like it had a certain warmth to it that wasn't there before. Kurama chuckled and nodded. " **Alright, this'll work out just fine."** he said in an amused tone.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the fox. "What's going on? What will work out fine? How did this stuff get here?" he asked in rapid fire. Kurama groaned and pinched his muzzle with his human like hands.

" **Well, this is your mind and our shared mindscape. I can create anything in here from you memories. After you looked at those scrolls I pulled them from your memories and formed them here. And what's going on, I am going to help you learn these pathetic techniques that the Humans think you need. And for why it'll work fine is because since this is a shared mindscape, the laws of the natural world work here so your mind doesn't assist you in your learning."** the fox explained to the boy.

Naruto had a lost look on his face and tilted his head to the side. "Huh?" he said lamely. Kurama groaned once more at Naruto's incompetence.

" **This is going to take a while…"**

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued…**

 **Bulba Fett: Aight, that's that for this chapter. Still just doing some basic editing/reconstructing. Also, after my own read through, I wanted to tear my head off because of how much I had Hinata stutter. It was like, every other word she had a stutter and I now I'm just sitting here like, "WTF was I on when I wrote her lines!? This is illegible!" ...So I fixed it...very much less stutter**

 **Anyway,**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: We in now way own Naruto...ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 4: Forbidden Friends

. . . .

 _Naruto had a lost look on his face and tilted his head to the side. "Huh?" he said lamely. Kurama groaned once more at Naruto's incompetence._

" _ **This is going to take a while…"**_

. . . .

" **Okay brat you've almost got it...a little more chakra...there! Stop!"** Kurama instructed the little blonde as he channeled his chakra into the Ram seal, trying to perform the Henge no Jutsu. After letting the chakra he was storing loose throughout his body, a small plume of smoke covered him. Once the smoke disappeared, where a blond, spiky haired blue eyed boy stood, was now a red haired boy with green eyes and a few freckles on his face.

Naruto looked into the mirror that Kurama conjured up next to him in his mindscape and smiled widely. "Yatta! I look so different!" he cheered until he looked to his forehead. The Seal was still there and it caused him to become slightly depressed. "Aw man..I thought I hid that this time…" he grumbled to himself and hung his head. Kurama snorted and shook his head before he rested his muzzle on his front paws.

" **Don't worry kid, you've only been working on this Jutsu for four hours. Most brats your age don't even begin to fathom what chakra even is, let alone use it. You will get it in time."** he said to the blonde after a long yawn.

After explaining to Naruto how the mindscape worked, Kurama began coaching the boy though his chakra exercises and helped him learn his first jutsu. It had only been three hours and Kurama had to admit, the brat was a quick learner. With Kurama's help, he was able to get the jist of the leaf sticking exercise and began working on Henge. Since Kurama was a being made of entirely of chakra, he had quite a bit of knowledge of how it worked. So while reading Naruto's chakra flow easily, he let the boy know when he was using too much or too little chakra for the technique.

It amazed Kurama still, even though he knew that Naruto's chakra coils were using his own chakra to expand themselves and increase the boys reserves past what was humanly possible, but to have at least a high Chunin level of chakra at six years old was just unimaginable for a human child. However, Naruto's large reserves weren't necessarily a good thing. With his large reserves, it made it harder to use the low level jutsus he was trying to learn since they used so little chakra that it was near impossible for the blonde to filter out the smallest hint of power through the vast ocean of chakra he had without overdoing it.

But, that was why Kurama was helping him by telling him when he had enough. Under normal circumstances, it would have most likely of taken the boy weeks, if not months to even begin to master the Henge, let alone already be able to change his hair and eye colors.

And Kurama would not have a weak host, especially in the hostile kind of environment they were in. He knew that these Jutsu the boy was learning were going to be useless in the future, save for the Kawarimi, and that the Old Monkey of a Hokage would try to send him new jutsu and other assistance once he finished learning what he was given. So, Kurama needed his Kit to learn as fast as he could so that he would be able to defend himself and one day, hopefully, find a way to remove that damn seal from his head.

Naruto sat down in and looked at Kurama. "Hey, Kurama, how long has it been since I started working in here?" he asked the fox. Kurama peeked down at him and though for a moment.

" **Well, time here works differently than it does in reality. In here it has been about five hours, but in reality, it has been nearly half an hour. Time here moves ten times faster than in reality."** he explained to the blonde.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion and Kurama sensed this was going to be a recurring theme whenever he would try to explain something. He groaned and mumbled to himself. " **10 hours in here, 1 hour out there."** he said slowly to the confused child.

Understanding dawned on the boy's eyes. "Ooohhhh." he said intelligently in response. "Got it, so, I can spend a long time here and it would be like I was just taking a nap in my house." he summarized to himself and nodded.

Kurama shook his head at the boy's minimalistic knowledge and sighed. " **Precisely."** he said to the boy before sitting back onto his haunches. " **Alright, what we are going to do next is work on your physical skills. You won't be able to gain muscle mass here, but you will develop muscle memory from repeated practice."** he started to explain to the boy and stopped himself as he saw the blonde's head begin to tilt to the side. He sighed before he started again. " **You can't get muscles in here, but you can learn how to do things. You have to exercise in reality if you want to get bigger and faster."** he said slowly to the boy, getting a nod of understanding from him he continued. In front of Naruto formed a small box filled with Kunai and another box filled with Shuriken. About ten yards away from him a target dummy like the ones at the Academy formed. Naruto looked at Kurama with a confused expression before the fox explained.

" **You humans seem to value the art of Bukijutsu, so, you need to at least know the basics on how to handle sharp objects. We'll start with target practice. Now pick up a Kunai and we'll get started."**

. . . .

When Naruto returned to reality the sun had finally set and it was nearly eight o'clock. He had spent thirty hours with Kurama in his mindscape and had a basic understanding of how to use the Henge technique and after several hours of practice, could pin a Kunai into the target dummy from fifteen yards away. Not in the bullseye, or anywhere close, but he could at least hit the target. And seeing as he was only six years old, Kurama told him he had plenty of time to improve.

So, now that he was back in reality he got up and went to water Kakutasu-chan with the sink he had. After watering his little cactus he put her back on top of his dresser and curled up in his cot. He pulled his woolen blanket and gave a slight shiver. The October nights were getting colder, and the fact he didn't have a door did nothing to help the draft from coming into his shack.

Even though he was cold, the mental exhaustion from training with Kurama won out in the end and sent him to an early sleep.

. . . .

His dreams that night were strange. He dreamt of a man with golden hair, standing with his back to Naruto. The dream was too blurry to make anything else out, until a flash of red caught his eyes and suddenly he was looking into large, pain filled violet eyes. The eyes closed as tears poured down them, and then a voice called out to him through haziness of his dream.

" _Naruto-chan...my little Naruto-chan...I love you so much...little Naru-chan…"_ cried out a feminine voice.

Naruto wanted to call back to the voice. He wanted to know who she was, and where she was. But before he could say anything the image faded to him sitting on an altar, and the blurry image of the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, reaching down to him. The old man had tears running down his cheeks as he picked Naruto up in his arms and held him close.

" _I swear on your graves -, -, I will protect this boy…"_ he vowed as he held Naruto to him. The two names he said were drowned out by a static like sound, and the image was too blurry to make out what he said by reading his lips. Again, Naruto tried to call out to him but the image faded.

And he woke up.

. . . .

"JIJI!" Naruto yelled as he woke up with a start. The little boy sat up in his cot, noticing he was in a cold sweat and shaking slightly. He took his time to get his breathing in check and looked outside to check what time it was. It was nearly midnight out and Naruto was wide awake. He tried to probe his mind and see if Kurama was awake, but the only answer he got from the fox was a loud snore and slight grunt of annoyance.

Naruto shakily stood from his cot and walked over to his 'door'. He needed to go somewhere, he needed to get his mind off the dream he just had, and he knew of only one place he could let himself go and forget all of his worries.

The gardens.

The little boy snuck out of his shack and silently made his way over to the gardens. After the last two years of him running and hiding from angry villagers, he had become accustomed to moving silently and unseen.

He stuck to the shadows, and avoided anything that could make any form of sound as best as possible. It took him ten minutes of a silent crawling pace, but he made it to the center of the garden, where the large tree stood that held the old rope swing.

He silently made his way up to the swing and chose to sit on it this time. He didn't know why, but it just felt like the right thing to do. He sat on the swing, lightly swinging back and forth for what seemed like hours before he felt the first tear fall from his eyes. He stopped swinging, and just sat there, silently letting his tears fall freely, not trying to hide them, not trying to wipe them away, just letting them fall. His mask of happiness down and broken for the moment, he let his emotions do what they felt was needed, and he let the tears fall.

He sat there for a few moments in silence, till he heard a quiet voice from behind him call out. "A-Ano…" a quiet and girlish voice called to him. Naruto's fear took over for a brief moment as he launched himself from the swing and turned to the voice while crawling away. He looked at where the voice came from, and saw a little girl partially hiding behind the tree. It was too dark to see any of her features...but her voice seemed familiar, he just couldn't remember where he knew it from.

When he suddenly jumped away from the swing the girl let out a quiet 'eep' and hid a little further behind the tree. She looked at him with nervous, and slightly curious eyes. "S-Sorry if I scared you." she said quietly, pressing her index finger together as she leaned out from behind the tree.

Naruto's tension started to leave him when he saw that she was just a shy little girl, not any of the Elders or older Branch Members. He opted to just sit and look at her with caution, not wanting to speak incase someone was watching, or if he accidentally spoke too loudly and alerted someone.

So he sat there, looking at the little girl, waiting for her to continue talking.

She continued to look at him nervously and pressed her finger together. "I-I was just wondering w-why you were out here by yourself c-crying...it's really late o-out…" she asked the blonde innocently as she looked to the ground, only stealing glances at him.

Naruto just looked at her, debating actually answering her or just trying to make a run for it before he was spotted by anyone else. He stayed there until a few clouds moved out of the way of the moon, letting its light wash over the gardens and illuminate the area so Naruto could finally see just who he was speaking to.

It was the little girl from the day before. The little blue haired girl that was hiding behind Ko. The little girl Kouen had explicitly warned him to never talk to. Hyuuga Hinata. Naruto gasped lightly as he started to back away slowly. "I-I'm not supposed to talk to you…" he mumbles quietly to himself. But not quiet enough for the young Hyuuga not to hear him. She looked down and and backed away behind the tree. "I-I'm sorry…" she said softly, a slight hitch in her voice catching Naruto's attention.

It sounded like she was about to cry, and for some reason, he didn't want to see her cry. He stood up and slowly walked over to her. "K-Kouen-sama told me not to talk to you...but Kouen-sama isn't here, and we aren't breaking the rules if we're not caught." he said to the little Hyuuga. He held out a hand to her and let one of his false grins show itself on his face, his eyes closing as he hid his emotions behind his mask once again. "My name's Naruto, it's nice to meet you." he said in a vote of false happiness and confidence.

Hinata looked back up at him, blushing lightly. She tentatively reached out and grasped his hand and shook it. "I-It's nice to meet y-you too. I'm Hyuuga H-Hinata." she stammed quietly as her blush increased as she held onto his hand.

Naruto shook her hand for a moment before an awkward silence took over and the two stood in uncomfortable silence. Naruto debated with himself before he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. "I-I should go…" he said as he started to turn to leave. Hinata's eyes went wide and she reached out for him for a reason unknown to her.

"W-wait!" she called as she grabbed lightly at his sleeve.

Naruto stopped and turned to the brightly blushing girl. "Y-you didn't answer my question...W-why were you crying?" she asked in a quiet voice, still holding onto his sleeve. Naruto looked down to her hand and then back at her curious and nervous face. He sighed and looked down a bit before he answered her.

"I-I had a bad dream. I just needed to got out and sit for a while...it was nothing to worry about, honest." he said in a sheepish tone as he scratched the back of his head, letting his false smile spread across his face again.

Hinata didn't buy it for a second. No one shows emotions like he had from just a dream. He had absolutely the most depressed, saddened, and lifeless expression on his face when he thought he was alone. Then, as soon as she arrived, it was like a completely different person had taken over his body. False confidence and faked happiness hiding all of the pain in his eyes.

But she knew better than to pry too far into his business. She had experienced what tended to happen when she asked too many questions…

So she decided to drop it. She smiled and nodded to him. "O-oh, that's g-good then." she said to the boy. She was about to say something to him, but Naruto asked his own question before she could even open her mouth.

"Why are you out here? Did you have a bad dream too?" he asked the girl. Hinata averted her gaze and looked around at all the flowers around them.

"W-Well…" she started to say. "I-I like to come out here w-when no one's around so I can press some of the flowers." she explained to the blond. Naruto tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Press flowers? What's that?" he asked innocently. Hinata smiled shyly, before leading him back over to the tree by his sleeve, which she noticed she was still holding onto. She lead him around to the other side of the tree and showed him a book that had several flowers laminated into the pages with descriptions of what they were and their potential uses.

Naruto's eyes widened as she showed him all the different flowers she had pressed into the book. "W-Wow...I never knew flowers could do stuff like that...medicine and tea? I just thought they were really pretty…" he breathed as he looked through the book. Hinata smiled at him and giggled at his enjoyment.

"A-All things have a use, silly." she said to him, but the second the words left her mouth, a sudden depression swept over her. "A-At least that's what my Kaa-san used to say…" she mumbled to herself, not quite loud enough for Naruto to catch. But, he did notice her depressed state.

"Hey, Hinata-chan," he said to the girl, causing her to look up and blush at him. It was the first time someone had called her 'chan' since her mother, and...she sort of liked it. "You come out here everyday, right?" he asked her. She nodded in return, cocking an eyebrow at him, wondering what he could be asking about.

Embarrassment swept over Naruto as he thought of what he would be asking her. "W-well...would it be okay if I came out tomorrow and you showed m-me how to-to press flowers?" he stammered in embarrassment as he scratched his cheek, trying to hide the blush spreading across his face.

Hinata's eyes widened as her own blush covered her face, making her face glow crimson in the dark night. She slowly nodded to the boy, not meeting his eye for fear of fainting on the spot. Naruto smiled brightly, a true smile this time, not his false masking grins he used to hide his pain. And Hinata noticed. She was nearly blown away by the sudden warmth she felt spread over her when she caught even the faintest glimpse of his happiness.

"I'll see ya tomorrow then Hinata-chan. I should probably go before it gets too late." he said as he stood up to leave. And noticed that Hinata was still holding onto his sleeve.

She also seemed to notice when she let out a quiet 'eep' and slowly retracted her hand. "S-Sorry…" she muttered to him without looking him in the eye. He smiled warmly to her. For some reason, the thought of her holding onto his sleeve made him...happy.

"It's fine Hinata-chan. I'll see you tomorrow." he said in a kindly tone before he turned and left the garden as silently as he came.

. . . .

Ko smiled as Naruto walked out of the garden.

He had been watching the two ever since Hinata left her room. He knew she liked to go out late at night and spend time in the gardens. And he didn't mind it as long as he was there to watch over her, and honestly, after all of the things she has to go through in the day, she deserved to have the night to herself.

He followed her to the garden and watched her and the newest member of the clan interact. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart when he saw the utter pain on Naruto's face when she first saw him out on the swing alone. But he began to grow a smile as the two interacted.

And when Naruto finally really smiled to her, he grew a full blown grin. The two seemed good for each other. They were both social outcasts of the Hyuuga clan. One for his burden he bare's to protect the lives of everyone of the village, only to be misjudged and ill forgotten. And the other to be shunned, beaten, and degraded for her kindness, and compassion towards others. But when they were together, they seemed to meld together and flow with one each other naturally.

And to Ko's amazement, it was probably the most Hinata had ever spoken at one time since her mother died. The girl had been silent and depressed ever since the tragic death of Hyuuga Hitomi one year ago, which only added to her beatings and verbal lashings for not being strong. Not acting like a 'proper' heir to the Hyuuga clan.

So, to defend their sliver of happiness, he would keep quiet. And silently cheer them on from the shadows.

. . . .

Naruto slept soundly that night. Content that he had finally made a friend. It was such a novel thing to think about. A friend he would only be able to speak to in secret. Truly peculiar. But he didn't care. She was now a friend, and one that he could most likely confide in if he needed to. And now that he thought about it, that list now had two people on it. Sure he had considered Hiroki and Ko friends, but he just hadn't connected them like he had with Hinata, like with Kurama.

He had felt something familiar between himself and Hinata, but he just couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly.

And with Kurama, well, it was either get along and help each other in this hostile environment, or hate and struggle with each other and hinder themselves from growing and surviving. But before he could really think anymore on it, he let his fatigue get the better of him and drifted off, to thankfully dreamless, sleep.

. . . .

Naruto woke up early the next morning. It was about six in the morning and Ko would be around to pick him up at seven. So, to capitalize on his hour of time, he went into his mindscape to train with Kurama. Naruto closed his eyes and sat in the position that Kurama had taught him the day before and slowed his breathing. He reached into himself until he finally found what he needed, and then let himself go.

When he opened up his eyes he was in the dark sewers that was his mindscape, standing in front of Kurama's cage. The massive fox was looking at him with a sly smirk and half hooded eyes. " **I see you've gotten yourself a vixen Kit. You're a little young for that in human years, but depending on where we are, it might be best to leave a few kits of your own sooner rather than later."** Kurama drawled lazily as he propped his head up on one of his paws, never letting his smirk slip from his face.

Naruto's face lit up like a fire and he turned away from the fox before steam could come from his face. "I-I'M SIX! WHY W-WOULD I THINK ABOUT THAT Y-YET!? ERO-KITSUNE!" he yelled indignantly. Apparently living in the red light district has a certain effect on children by making them learn about the birds and the bees at an early age. It was an awkward day after one of the girls living in his apartment decided to give him the uncensored 'talk'. He stayed turned away from the fox so he could reign in his thoughts and calm himself.

After a while he took in a deep, calming breath and let his muscles relax themselves. Now completely calm and ready for action, he turned back to the fox.

Kurama couldn't help but snicker at the boy before letting out a long yawn. " **Alright brat, we're gonna keep working on Bukijutsu for the first three hours we have here. Then we'll switch back over to Henge and Chakra control for the rest."** he drawled as he rolled onto his side. A basket of Kunai and Shuriken formed next to Naruto and a target dummy stood down field from him. Kurama yawned again before waving his massive paw towards the boy. " **Get to it then. I'm gonna go back to sleep."** he yawned and closed his eyes to fall back asleep.

Naruto scowled at the fox and huffed.

"Lazy ass fox…" he grumbled under his breath as he turned to the weapons and started throwing.

Kurama snorted at the boy. " **Heard that ya' dingy Human."** he mocked the blond, causing him to growl at the fox before returning to his training.

. . . .

"Henge!" Naruto called as a plume of smoke enveloped his body. After the smoke cleared away a near perfect copy of Ko stood in Naruto's place. The only difference between Naruto's illusion and the real Ko was that Naruto made the hair slightly darker than the originals, and his face was a few shades darker than the pale Hyuuga's normal skin tone.

Kurama had woken up from his nap about an hour before Naruto started working on his Henge, and was nodding to the boy for a job well done. " **Good work brat, with a little more practice you'll have it down. Now, why don't we start on the next jutsu in that scroll."** he instructed the blond. Naruto nodded and took the scroll from its table and opened it to the second jutsu that was within.

"Kawarimi…" he read aloud. This jutsu was constructed to be a means of escape from dangerous positions, as well as a way out of traps and snares. The user uses his chakra to replace themselves with a nearby object, usually within ten meters and within eyesight. The first part of this jutsu was to get a feel for being able to send out a focused pulse of chakra to touch the item that the user wanted to substitute with. So, Kurama had Naruto working on pulsing his chakra.

This exercise was surprisingly easy for the blonde. Due to his massive amounts of chakra for his age, all he had to do it open up his tenketsu a bit and his chakra would flood out of him in a nearly visible blue flame. So, after a half hour, he had chakra pulsing down. And with some assistance from Kurama, an hour later he was able to substitute with an object from five feet away.

After practicing Kawarimi for about an hour longer, Naruto was getting close to his time limit so he decided to put training to a stop for the moment and return to reality.

. . . .

Naruto opened his eyes yet again and found himself in his shack, sitting in the lotus position on his cot. He got up and stretched out his stiff joints before washing himself to the best of his ability with the sink he had on hand. He checked his clothes and noticed they were going to need to be cleaned soon. He didn't know how he was going to go about doing that, but he decided to just ask Ko about it when he showed up.

He put on his goggles to cover his Seal and checked on Kakatatsu-chan before sitting back down on his cot to wait for Ko.

A few minutes later Naruto heard a knock on the wall next to his 'door'. "Hey Naruto-kun, you up? I brought breakfast and it's time to go to the gardens." Ko called from outside. Naruto got off his cot and walked over to the entrance of his shack. He opened the curtain that acted as his door and smiled up at Ko. Ko smiled back at him before seeing the goggles on Naruto's forehead. "Uh...Naruto-kun...where did you get those goggles?" he asked in a worried tone.

Naruto blinked a few times before Kurama gave him an excuse he could use. "They were with my old clothes. In my back pocket." he said quickly to the older Hyuuga. Ko gave him a dry look, not buying it for a second, but just shrugged it off. If the kid wanted to wear some goggles, why not let him? Everyone else in the Branch Family wore wrappings or a Hitai-ate to cover their seals, so why not the goggles.

He sighed and handed Naruto a small box of food. "Alright then. Here, eat up so we can head on out." he instructed the blond. Naruto nodded and sat down in his shack and quickly ate the rice and scrambled eggs that were inside. He got up and went back over to Ko, who handed him a small bottle of water to drink. After downing the water Ko smiled at him and ushered him to the Gardens for another day of hard, but enjoyable, work.

. . . .

Naruto was busy pulling a weed from a bush full of daisies when Hiroki came up to him. She gave him a curious look before smiling. "Nice goggles there Naruto-kun." she chirped to the boy. Naruto smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "T-Thanks Hiroki-neechan."

She crouched down next to him and started helping him with the daisies. They worked together for a little while in silence before Hiroki turned back to him. "Hey Naruto-kun...I actually have a little news for you." she said with a shifty glance, like she was worried about getting caught.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her to go on. "Well, in two days there is going to be an Ambassador from Kumo coming...and...Kouen-sama ordered that you weren't to leave your housing while he was here…" she said the boy in an embarrassed tone. Naruto's eyebrow just continued to rise as he listened to her tell him about the meeting. "So, you won't be aloud to leave for the whole day...and I'll be busy with taking care of the Ambassador...I don't want to make you think I was just leaving you alone okay? I won't be able to bring you lunch, and...and I don't think anyone will be there to get you breakfast either…" she continued to the boy.

Naruto paled a bit when he caught onto where this was going. No food for a whole day. Oh the horror! But he put on a brave face, not wanting to look weak in front of Hiroki. "D-Don't worry about it Hiroki-neechan. I can go one day without food. It isn't that big of a deal." he said with a false smile.

Hiroki smiled at him and gave him a hug. "Oh, you're my little trooper. I'm so sorry I won't be able to help. I don't think anything I make will stay fresh long enough in your shack to last the day, unless you want to eat cereal and dry oatmeal all day." she said in a sarcastic tone. Naruto shuddered at the thought of eating nothing but dry cereal and dry oatmeal all day. Kami forbid that nightmare ever came true. The ration bars he got from Inu sounded better.

They continued in a somewhat awkward silence until it was time for lunch. Naruto followed Hiroki back to the pavilion area where the other three gardeners ate their lunches.

"Oh hey Hiroki, and hello again Naruto-kun." Tora greeted the two as they sat down with them. Hiroki smiled and offered a curt bow to the elderly man. Naruto smiled brightly but didn't say anything. Mira and Michiko said their hello's and went back to talking about whatever it was they talked about aside from their daily duties. Mainly gossip around the compound, whose cousin married who and rumors about an up and coming prodigy in Branch Family.

"So, I heard Neji-kun is starting at the Academy next spring." Mira said to the group before she took a bite out of an apple. The other Branch Members all nodded with slight smiles on their faces. Naruto blinked a few times. trying to remember where he had heard that name before.

"I bet Mina-sama is very proud of him. I heard he's gifted that one, a real Jyuken prodigy." Tora added with a hardy laugh. The others joined in with him and laughed as well.

Naruto cocked his head to side, wondering what he was talking about. The blond tugged on Hiroki's sleeve a bit and made her look over to him. She saw that he was confused and leaned over to him. "What's up Naruto-kun?" she asked the boy.

"What's Ji-yuken?" he asked with his head still cocked to the side, having some difficulty pronouncing the word. He waited for an answer, but he saw that the branch members flashed their Byakugan before responding. Hiroki moved a little closer to him before she explained.

"Naruto-kun, the Jyuken is the Hyuuga's prized Taijutsu technique. We use our Byakugan to see your chakra pathways and strike certain points to make the flow of chakra stop. Or we can hit internal organs, or even paralyze you with a touch." she explained to the boy in a hushed tone while the others kept a watchful eye for anyone trying to listen in on them. Naruto blinked a few times, taking a moment to think about what she said and make sense of it. He was about to ask about it again before Kurama filled in the details.

"Oohh." he said while slowly nodding his head.

Then he had stars in his eyes from hearing about the technique. "Can you teach me how to do that Hiroki-neechan? Can you?" he asked excitedly, nearly bouncing on the spot he was sitting. Hiroki frowned a bit before shaking her head.

"Sorry Naruto-kun. The only way someone can use the Jyuken is if they have the Byakugan. And we aren't aloud to teach anyone how to use the technique without permission from the Main Family." she said in a saddened tone, hating to put the kid down.

Naruto looked down a bit and his excitement died down. "Oh...oh well. I guess I'll learn something else then." he said before looking back up at Hiroki and flashing a false smile to her. "Don't worry Hiroki-neechan. I'll learn something even cooler than the Jyuken and become Hokage for sure!" he exclaimed with a thump on his chest. Hiroki smiled sadly, knowing that one day Naruto would have to wake up from his dream, and face reality. But today was not that day. She reached over and ruffled Naruto's hair with a smile.

"I know you will little brother. I know you will…"

. . . .

That night Naruto went into his mindscape before going to meet up with Hinata. It was six o'clock and he had just finished his dinner before he went to train with Kurama.

He appeared before the fox and started to stretch out his small arms. "So Kurama-sensei, what's first?" he asked with a bright smile.

Kurama gave him a slight grunt and thought for a moment, a frown on his face. Naruto blinked a few times, wondering what was up with Kurama. It took a few seconds before Kurama finished thinking. " **Alright brat, I think it's time for you to start learning some form of Taijutsu."** he said to the boy. Naruto cocked his head to the side before asking the obvious question.

"But I thought we couldn't do any physical training here? Just muscle memory and chakra control." he asked the fox, deeply confused.

Kurama nodded to the boy. " **Yes Kit, that's all you can learn here. But, when practicing what you humans call Taijutsu, you will need a certain amount of muscle memory in order to successfully kick someone, or use a combo of strikes. Your body will need to be able to register how you want to move before you can. So, even though you won't be gaining any physical strength, you can learn how to move and strike an opponent here."** he explained to the boy. Naruto nodded along, trying really hard to understand just what the fox was talking about.

Kurama snorted at the trying boy and shook his head. " **Now, I've seen hundreds of different styles of Taijutsu while I was trapped in my previous host-"** he started before Naruto cut him off.

"WAIT! You had a different host before me?" he asked in shock. Kurama growled lightly at him.

" **I might tell you about...** _ **her**_ **...in the future, but not now. So don't interrupt me again brat."** the fox warned, letting a little anger into his voice. Naruto gulped and decided to shut up. Kurama nodded with a huff. " **Good, now where was I...Ah, yes. Since I have seen so many different Taijutsu styles, I think I can show you a few that may be useful."** the fox told the blond. Naruto nodded and waited for Kurama to continue.

Kurama sat on his haunches in thought. Scratching his head, trying to think of a style that could work for the Kit.

" _ **He's small, but very fast for his age...probably gets that from 'him'...but he's got an incredible amount of stamina...strong fist? No that works too much physical strength and hard blows, he's too small for that...cheetah style? It could work...but then again, I don't think it could help us against 'these' opponents...We need something that works on redirecting blows without getting hit...Hold on…"**_ he thought to himself, working through all of the possible styles he could teach the boy. Until he snapped his head up with a feral smirk.

" **Alright brat, I think I have just the Taijutsu style for you to learn…"**

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued….**

 **Bulba Fett: Still just doing some basic changes. Thank God the amount of basic structure mistakes in this are becoming fewer and fewer as this goes on, I was really doubting my past self as a writer for a bit there :P. Again, fixing Hinata's stuttering problem. BIG shoutout to Peacemaren for pointing out that I had the title of the story spelt wrong xD God I'm still banging my head on my desk about that one.**

 **Anyway, don't expect a Chapter out tomorrow, gotta go meet my sister in South Carolina tomorrow to drop some stuff off to her, so I've got about 6 hours of driving to do and I'm not gonna bring my Laptop or do the editing on my Phone, that would be fuckin' torture man.**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 5: Ambassador Ambush

. . . .

"He's small, but very fast for his age...probably gets that from 'him'...but he's got an incredible amount of stamina...strong fist? No that works too with much pure physical strength and hard blows, and has next to no defense, he's too small for that...cheetah style? It could work...but then again, I don't think it could help us much against 'these' opponents...We need something that works by redirecting blows, without getting hit...Hold on…" he thought to himself, working through all of the possible styles he could teach the boy. Until he snapped his head up with a feral smirk.

"Alright Kit, I think I have just the Taijutsu style for you to learn…"

. . . .

The next time Naruto opened his eyes it was eight at night. He still had about three hours before he would meet up with Hinata so he decided to get some sleep in before hand, having Kurama wake him when it got to be around that time.

Besides, he needed the sleep. All of the mental training he had done was exhausting. He wasn't physically tired, no, his body felt like it could run forever. But his head hurt like no other and just had the need to sleep.

He laid down in his cot and pulled the old woolen blanket around him tightly, trying to feebly fight off the cold October night air. Thankfully, he felt Kurama's chakra start to flow through him, warming him and letting him drift off into sleep.

. . . .

The area was a dark forest, covered in the night sky. All was quiet save for the occasion clang of far off metal.

The wind began to pick up as it caused the tree tops to sway in the breeze.

The sound of metal grew louder.

Small flashes of light could be seen in a far off clearing. Small sparks, as if from a fire, they flew through the air. Only to be extinguished and remade moments later.

The scene began to shift, almost like it was moving at a slow pace towards the flashing sparks. The speed at which the being whose eyes were watching the sparks began to move faster and faster until it was bounding towards clearing.

And then it was on top of them.

The sound of metal was drowned out by the savage roar of the being. A massive red hand like paw crashed down into the clearing, as two small figures jumped out of the way.

One of the figures wielded a large fan like weapon and a scythe. While the other held two cleaver like swords in his hands.

They both wore red plated armor and each had long hair, one brown, and the other black.

The black haired figure turned towards the beast and bellowed a hysterical laugh. "It seems luck is on my side, Hashirama!" the man roared out as he jumped up to face the beast.

And then, everything turned red.

Slight images of destruction faded in and out. Fire spread across the forest. A deep valley was carved into the earth. And once the red faded, one figure remained.

It was the brown haired man. He stood alone in the unnatural valley, panting in exhaustion, and bleeding heavily from several different wounds.

"I am sorry," the man said to the beast. "But you are much too dangerous for me to just let you roam the world on your own accord!" he exclaimed before everything went black.

. . . .

Naruto woke with a start. He yelled as he sat up, in shock from what he had dreamt. He was breathing heavily and looking around the shack. He raised his hands to his head and tried to slow his breathing.

"Wha...what was that?" he panted. "Ku-Kurama? What was that?" he asked in a frantic voice, on the verge of tears. When no answer came from the fox he began to panic.

He took a few calming breaths. "K-Kurama's probably asleep…" he said to himself, trying to calm himself down.

It took the child a few minutes but he finally got his breathing under control. He was about to get up before he heard a voice call out to him.

"N-Naruto-kun?" he heard coming from his doorway. His eyes shot wide as he turned to see who it was, only faintly recognizing the voice in his frantic state. His breath caught in his throat when he saw who it was.

"A-Are you okay?" Hinata asked as she stood in the doorway, the moonlight forming a ring of light behind her. She had a curious and worried look to her lavender eyes. She had shown up just in time to hear Naruto wake up. She was scared when he yelled, but now, she was more confused than anything. Who was Kurama?

Naruto took a moment to think of a response to the young Hyuuga. He swallowed a bit before putting up one of his false smiles. "O-Oh, hey Hinata-chan. I-I'm fine, but why are you here? Did I sleep too late?" he asked nervously. First the dream, now Kurama was asleep, and now Hinata showed up at his shack. Could things get anymore complicated?

Yes, apparently they could. Hinata wasn't buying that Naruto was alright, and this time, she was going to find out why. "A-Are you sure y-you're okay? You seem like you're scared of s-something…" she asked while taking a step into the shack. Naruto tensed slightly before nodding.

"Uh huh. I'm alright. I-I just had a bad dream is all." he said, his false smile still present, though it was slipping slightly from his panicked state.

Hinata still didn't look convinced that that was all he was scared of, so she pressed a little further. "C-Can you tell me about it?" she asked the blond. "I-It might help."

Naruto looked down at his shaking hands and clenched them to make them stop. He let out a shaky breath before looking back to Hinata. "Alright…" he said to the bluenette. "I-It was weird. It was like I was looking through someone else's eyes. Almost like a memory that I don't remember having." he explained to the girl.

Hinata was taken aback when he revealed what had been worrying him was in fact, a dream. She had thought he was hiding something from her. He acted like he was scared of her, and was apprehensive to talk to her. "T-That is strange." she agreed with him, a slight frown on her face. "B-But why were you so s-scared then?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow. She walked further into the shack and sat at the end of Naruto's cot.

Naruto stiffened slightly but decided to continue. "W-Well. It was the memory that scared me." he started. "I was in a forest at night...and I was above the trees. It started out calm, but then something happened that made me move. I moved over to a big open spot in the woods and saw a couple of guys fighting. It...it was so brutal. They punched each other, yelled at each other, even cut each other...it was like they were trying to kill each other. But...when they saw me...one of them began to laugh and said something about someone named Hashi...Hashiroma? No, it was Hashirama." he said with conviction before continuing, not looking Hinata in the eyes. He pulled his knees to his chest and held them there as he recalled the scariest part of his dream.

"Th-Then...the one who was talking jumped towards me...and everything went red. I felt...so...so angry?" he said, almost confused with himself. "Angrier than I had ever been before. Then...I saw things...things that happened so fast." he said as his arms began to shake.

"The woods...they caught on fire...then there was this explosion that made a big hole in the ground…" he explained. "There was...so...so much destruction...and I only got angrier as it went on...and then it stopped." he said abruptly, startling Hinata with his sharp tone. He finally looked back to Hinata and offered her a weak smile. "S-Sorry to make you worry Hinata-chan. I-It was just a dream…"

Hinata nodded slowly, not knowing what to do to help him. He seemed to be suffering from something, but what? She shook her head and returned his smile. "W-Well, then you don't need to be scared i-if it's just a dream. Dreams can't hurt you." she said to the boy with a warm smile. "I-It's getting late, I should get going." she said as she stood up to leave.

Naruto didn't know why, but, even though he had only talked to the girl twice, he didn't want to her to go. He reached up and grabbed lightly at her sleeve.  
Hinata gasped lightly before turning to Naruto with a light blush on her cheeks. "Y-Yes?" she asked the boy holding her sleeve. Naruto looked down, trying to figure out what to say.

"U-Um...I-I sorry we didn't get to p-press any flowers...can...can we do that tomorrow night?" he asked desperately, wanting to spend time with a friend, looking her in the eyes with an almost pleading look. A look that longed for friendship, longed for someone to accept him.

Hinata was taken aback by the boys look. He could display the most powerful of emotions that it nearly forced her to just observe them. She shook her head slightly to ward off her trance before smiling at him. She nodded to the blond. "Of course we can." she said to him, her pesky stutter fading from her her voice.

Naruto smiled brightly to her and let go of her sleeve. He nodded to her and went back to his cot. "I'll see you tomorrow then Hinata-chan." he said in a genuinely happy tone. Hinata blushed brightly before she smiled and left the shack, hurrying back home.

Naruto laid down on his cot and curled up in his blanket. He hadn't felt it till then, but he was exhausted. As soon as he closed his eyes, he was lost to unconsciousness.

. . . .

Hinata hurried back to the tree in the gardens. She had forgotten her flower book there when she went looking for Naruto after he didn't show up that night.

Naruto. He was an interesting boy. Something about him, just called out to her. The pain he tried to hide in his eyes made her want to know him, to help him somehow. She wanted to know why he hurt so much, and wanted to do something to help. She hated seeing people hurt, whether it be physically, or mentally.

There was something else about him too. His smile. It was an infectious one when he was actually smiling. She could tell when he was trying to hide, she knew he was throwing up a mask to hide his pain from the world. She knew this, because it was exactly what she would do.

After her mother's death, the elders press Hinata hard to be more confident, to be a REAL heiress. Her father wasn't much help against the elders, but she couldn't blame him. She knew what they would do if he openly opposed them.

Flashback

Hinata was walking through the hallways of the main estate, tears staining her face as she slowly lumbered down the empty and quiet halls late one night.

It was a week since her little sister's birth, but it was also a week since her mother's death. She didn't know what to think about little Hanabi. She could tell she loved the little girl dearly, she was her last memento from her mother, but she was also the one who took her from them. She loved her sister, but she wouldn't forgive her.

She woke up that night, eyes dripping tears after a nightmare about her mother. She had gotten up to get something to drink when she began to wander the estate. She didn't know what she was doing, but she let her feet take her where they wanted to go. Which happened to be her father's office.

The light was on, and she could hear voices inside. She moved closer to the door so she could hear what was going on inside. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on her father, but something was telling her that she would want to hear this.

"Elder Shima, you are not serious about this, are you?" she heard her father say in a angry tone. "She has just lost her mother, you cannot possibly believe I would ever do this to my daughter in her time of grief!?" he said, raising his voice as she heard his palm slam on the table.

Hinata flinched hearing her father yell. He never yelled. What was going on?

"Hiashi-sama. It doesn't matter what has occurred. Hinata-sama needs to be reeducated on how a proper Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan must act. These ludicrous notions of kindness and fairness that her mother seeded into her mind must be dealt with. If she is to be the head of the clan then she will need to be strict and rule with an iron fist." a shrill and elderly voice hissed to Hiashi in a rage filled tone.

A second voice spoke out, it was deeper and and layered with a calm venom. "Of course, with a second daughter, we could always advance Hanabi-sama to the position of Heiress and hand Hinata-sama over to the Branch Family?" the voice question.

Hiashi hissed at the man. "You wouldn't dare. I would kill you before you placed that damn seal my daughter's head!" he growled out in rage.

Again a new voice intervened, this one filled with contempt, malice, and a self loving smugness that was thick in the man's voice, it was Kouen. "Hiashi-sama. If you were to do that you would have to fight all of us. I know for a fact that you are too 'weak' to even dare face all of us at once." he said in mocking tone. "Oh, and what do you think Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama would do if they lost their beloved Otou-san I wonder? No Hiashi. You WILL do what we say. You WILL use our methods to train Hinata-sama. And you WILL follow our instructions to the letter." he cackled to the Clan Head.

Hiashi growled loudly before slamming his hand on the table again. "Damn you! You son of a fucking bitch! Once I get my hands on you, you will beg for death!" he roared at the Elder.

Kouen and his fellow elders just laughed at the man's rage. "Oh, will you now Hiashi?" Kouen questioned. "Why don't we send someone to see to your daughter right now? I think this insult to us would warrant her branding." he stated with a sinister chuckle.

Hinata paled and ran from the door, afraid that the Elders were coming for her.

But when they didn't come for her that night, she learned what her father had done.

He gave up being their father to protect them. And now, he was forced to be their 'Master' while treating them with cold disdain and indifference.

End of Flashback

Hinata shook her head to rid herself of the memory before she came up to the large tree in the middle of the gardens.

She walked up to its trunk and picked up the flower book that was sitting in a tuft of grass next to the great tree before hurrying back to the estate.

She quietly ran into the estate and started making her way to her room when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Hinata?" Hiashi voiced his presence from down the hall. Hinata's eyes went wide as she let out a muffled 'eep' from hearing his voice. She slowly turned towards her father not meeting his eyes.

Hiashi frowned at his daughter. Why was she out so late? He also didn't like the fact that she wouldn't look him in the eyes. She was hiding something from him.

"Hinata, what are you doing awake so late?" he asked in a mildly stern voice before walking over to her and looking down to her. Hinata shifted her feet and gripped her book a little tighter before answering.

"I-I c-couldn't sleep, so I-I went o-out to press flowers...I-I'm sorry for going out s-so late Otou-sama." she said in a meek and quiet tone, afraid of what her father was going to say about her being out so late.

Hiashi looked at her for a moment, a slight frown present on his face. She was hiding something. Her eyes shifted to the left and down while she spoke, and her demeanour suggested she wasn't telling the whole truth. He thought for a moment before sighing. He couldn't fault her for wanting to press flowers. She and her mother used to do that all of the time, and recently with all of the Elders breathing down her neck, she wasn't able to do anything she wanted. He placed a hand on her shoulder and ushered her to her room. "Come Hinata. Don't make this a habit, alright? I understand why you wanted to have some time to yourself, but it isn't safe for you to be out this late on your own. Now, go back to bed." he said to his daughter in a soft tone.

Hinata's eyes widened before turning to her father and hugging him. It had been so long since he acted like her father that she couldn't hold back a happy outburst.

Hiashi was slightly startled by his daughters hug, but he got over his shock and hugged her back.

"I love you Otou-sama." she muffled into his chest, silent tears flowing down her cheeks. Hiashi smiled at his daughter before squeezing her tight.

"I love you too Hinata-hime. Now, off to bed. You need your rest for tomorrow." he said in a soft tone as he picked her up and took her to her room.

After putting the Hyuuga Heiress to bed, the Clan Head left her room and walked down the hallway. He stopped before he reached his rooms. "Ko…" he called out in the empty hallway. "Keep an eye out for her. I have a bad feeling about tomorrow…" he said before entering his room.

From one of the shadows in the hallway next to Hinata's room, Ko revealed himself before bowing in Hiashi's direction.

"Hai, Hiashi-sama."

. . . .

The next day. 4:00 pm

. . . .

All of the leaders of the Hyuuga Clan waited for the Ambassador's arrival outside of the Compounds main gates. They waited until the saw Branch Member escorting the man they were waiting for.

"Welcome to the Hyuuga Compound Ambassador-san. My name is Hyuuga Kouen, and we are honored to have you stay here with us during your time in Konohagakure." Kouen greeted the Kumo Ambassador as he and the rest of the Hyuuga Council gave the man a slight bow. The Ambassador was a tall man with caramel colored skin. He had a shaven head and wore the standard grey, white, and red of the Kumogakure Jounin with his Hitai-ate secured onto his forehead.

The Ambassador gave a curt bow to the Hyuuga Council and looked between the members. "It is an honor to meet you Kouen-dono. My name is Yotsuki Risho. Now, I do not mean to be rude, but I was expecting to be greeted by your Clan Head, Hyuuga Hiashi. Where might he be?" he asked in a polite, yet stern tone.

Hizashi stepped forward to greet the Ambassador. "I am sorry for my brother's absence, but he appears to still be speaking with the Hokage at the moment. I am Hiashi-sama's twin brother, Hyuuga Hizashi. It is a pleasure to meet you Yotsuki-dono. If I may, I would like to show you where you will be staying for the night and give you a tour of the Compound." he said with a polite bow to the Kumogakure Jounin.

Risho nodded to the man and waved his hand before him . "Lead on Hizashi-dono." he said to the Branch Leader. Hizashi nodded to the man before turning and walking into the compound, followed closely by the Ambassador.

The two walked in silence for a few moments before Hizashi broke the ice. "So, Yotsuki-dono. How goes the peace talks between you and Hokage-sama? I hope they are going well." he asked the foreign Jounin.

The Ambassador was in Konoha for the express reason of ending the war between Konoha and Kumo. They had been fighting for the better half of a decade and were sick of it. Both sides had lost several shinobi and weren't making any progress in getting past the other's defense. Kumo had tried to send an Ambassador three years ago, but skirmishes between rogue shinobi and bandits caught them in the crossfire and ended up killing the Ambassador and his party. Konoha said that they weren't the ones to kill the Kumo shinobi but they didn't believe them. So, after three more years of fighting, death, pain, and loss pass, Kumo wants to try for peace a second time.

Risho shrugged in answer. "The negotiations are going...well. I suppose. I might have gotten off on the wrong foot with the Inuzuka Matriarch. Apparently, one of my Clansmen had killed her cousin in the last battle." he replied to Hizashi with an uncaring attitude.

"That is a shame," Hizashi said. "But I do hope that the peace talks continue on without any further issues. This war has been going on for far too long and has been no good for either side." he said with a saddened tone.

Risho nodded in return. "I do as well…" he said, letting his voice wander as he looked out at the gardens of the Hyuuga Compound. "That is quiet the ganden you have here Hizashi-dono." he said the Branch Leader. "It is much more grand than our own at my Clan's estate."

Hizashi looked out to the gardens with a slight smile. "We take great care, and pride of our gardens. We of the Branch Family work every day to keep its beauty all year round." he explained.

Risho nodded and the two went on there way.

. . . .

That night. 8:00 pm.

. . . .

Naruto sat in his shack across from Inu. His ANBU Guardian had been kind enough to bring him some food and sit with him for the day since the six year old was confined to his shack until the Ambassador left for his meetings the next day. And the best thing of all, he didn't bring ration bars this time.

No, he brought something Naruto never thought he'd get to taste again. The food of the gods! Ichiraku Ramen! Naruto had been happily eating bowl after bowl for the last hour, trying to make up for lost meals.

Inu sat there in awe at how much the small child could eat. He looked like he was literally inhaling his food. A few minutes passed before the blond finished his twelfth bowl releasing a loud sigh of content.

"Man, I never thought I'd get to have this again!" he exclaimed in pure bliss as he laid back on his cot and stretched. Inu just shook his head and chuckled at the boys enthusiasm.

"So Naruto-kun, make any progress on those scrolls yet? I know they can be difficult for someone your age. Normally you wouldn't start learning these things till your second year at the Academy." he asked the boy, wondering if he would need to give any pointers to the boy.

Naruto gave him a sly smile before standing up. Rushing his hands through the Dog-Boar-Ram seals, making Inu's eyes widen slightly at the speed and mastery of the boy's hand seals. "Henge!" he exclaimed before making a perfect illusion of Inu.

Inu reared back in shock as he watched the boy who only had one day to learn the technique show a perfect mastery for it. "W-Wow Naruto-kun. Very impressive! Congratulations!" he said happily to the boy, proud of his advancement. "How are you doing with the other two techniques?" he asked the boy, curious about how the boy had learned, and mastered, the technique in only one day. Sure it was a E rank Jutsu, but he was only six. Could he be some sort of genius? Unlikely. A Ninjutsu savant? Probably.

Naruto dropped his Henge and gave Inu a huge grin. "I've got the Kawarimi down as well, but I can't really show that one off without telling everyone. You know, the chakra pulse and all." he explained to the Anbu Captain.

"Well, what about the Bunshin no jutsu? How are you with that?" he asked the blond. Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh.

"I...uh...I can't do that one no matter how much I try." he said in a subdued tone.

Inu hummed in thought before taking out a sheet of paper and placing it on the wall of the shack. He made a few quick hand signs and a seal appeared on the paper for a moment before it disappeared.

"What's that?" Naruto ask the Anbu in a curious tone. Inu turned to the blond and sat back down.

"That's a privacy seal," he explained. "It'll let us use some low level jutsu without anyone noticing. So, show me your problem with the Bunshin." he said to the blond.

Naruto nodded and stood back up from his cot. He ran through the Ram-Snake-Tiger seal combo and focused his chakra. "Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called. A small plume of smoke appeared next to him and a sickly pale looking copy of himself appeared next to him, barely standing as it wobbled back and forth. Naruto sighed in defeat as the clone disappeared. "See." he said dejectedly. He knew why he wasn't able to preform the jutsu, but Kurama didn't want Inu to know he knew. It would seem more suspicious than he was already.

Inu hummed again in thought before looking at Naruto. "It seems you're using too much chakra. I know the scroll says to use only a little chakra, why are you using so much?" he asked in a confused tone.

Naruto started to scratch the back of his neck and looked away from the man. "That's sorta the smallest amount of Chakra I can use." he said to the ANBU in embarrassment. Inu was surprised by that statement. The amount of chakra Naruto had just used was more than the average Academy Student first year had.

"Oh...well...you know...there is a jutsu that may be better for you to learn. But I'll have to run it by Hokage-sama before I teach it to you." he said as he stood up. Naruto widened his eyes at the man in a mixture of surprise, and excitement.

"Can you show me!?" he asked excitedly, almost bouncing in his seat.

Inu shook his head with a slight chuckle. "No, can do, sorry. I need to confirm it with Hokage-sama first Naruto-kun. I don't want you trying to copy me. The jutsu uses a lot of chakra and could kill you if you aren't careful. But, I don't think the chakra thing will be a problem for you…" he mused as he prepared to leave.

He helped Naruto clean up the empty bowls of Ramen and ruffled the boy's hair one last time in goodbye before he Shunshined out of the shack. Naruto puffed his cheeks in annoyance that he didn't get to see the jutsu Inu was going to tell him about, but he quickly got over it in exchange for sleep.

He needed to have a little rest before he met Hinata. And this time Kurama was going to make sure he woke up in time as to not, 'make his mate angry and leave him'. The damn fox making innuendos about Naruto wanting to talk to Hinata. She was just his friend, and pretty much the only person he could talk to his age besides Neji.

He laid down on his cot, but unlike the night before, he had trouble falling asleep. Kurama sensed this and decided to investigate. "What is it brat? What's got you all riled up?" Kurama growled in annoyance about the influx of negative emotions rushing through Naruto. The main one he picked up on was fear, along side with anxiety and nervousness.

Naruto rolled over to his back and closed his eyes. "It's….it's nothing Kurama. Just...some dreams I've been having…" he thought to the Bijuu. Kurama narrowed his eyes and thought for a brief second.

"What kind of dreams?" he asked in a suspicious tone.

"Well," Naruto started. He told the Kyuubi all about the dreams he had been having the last couple of nights. About how he had seen things like they were memories. How he had seen people he had never met before. The rage he had felt towards the two men in the forest. And, the sadness he felt from the woman's words. Kurama remained silent through Naruto's retelling of what happened, and growled a little when Naruto mentioned how much of a lazy bum he was for not being awake for any of it.

Kurama took a moment to think of why Naruto was having those dreams. Especially because those were his dreams the boy was having. Then it hit him. "Well Kit, I think you are having those dreams because of our connection while you sleep." he said to the boy. Naruto unconsciously tilted his head in confusion.

"What?" he asked intelligently.

Kurama groaned before continuing. "It's because my chakra is keeping you warm at night so you don't get sick. While my chakra is actively running through you, our minds are closely connected. So, when I dream while you are using my chakra, you will also have those dreams." he explained in simpler terms to the child. Naruto made an intelligent 'oohh' before scrunching his eyebrows.

"Well, how do we stop it?" he asked the fox.

"Well, either I stay up while you sleep, which I can tell you right now, that's NOT happening. Or you just suck it up and learn from what you see." the fox grumbled in annoyance. Naruto was going to keep asking questions but Kurama cut the connection. Naruto grumbled in anger at the fox 'hanging up' on him, but decided to finally let himself get some sleep.

. . . .

Later that night. 1:00 am.

. . . .

Naruto woke up after his five hour rest and recapped on the dream he had that night. He was again viewing things as Kurama, but...he was smaller. He was running around a strange room, chasing after a strange looking Tanuki. The Tanuki was running in fear as a monkey with four tails laughed at the poor thing for running away.

Kurama was about to catch the Tanuki before a stern voice stopped him. Kurama was about to turn around and look where the voice had come from before Naruto woke up.

It was strange. It was almost as if Kurama was a little fox playing with his friends. This dream, unlike the others that made him feel saddened or enraged, made him feel happy. He had a warm feeling running through him as he thought back on the dream and couldn't help the smile he had.

He quickly got up from his cot and put his goggles and sandals on. He then started to stealthily make his way to the gardens.

. . . .

Meanwhile

. . . .

Ko followed Hinata from her room while keeping a respectful distance. He kept his Byakugan active and focused on Hinata's location as he followed her. It still marveled him that the little girl could move with such stealth that it took over a year for her father to figure out that she was sneaking out at night.

She made her way to the gardens and quietly waited for Naruto by the tree at the center. Ko kept to the edges of the garden to be sure he was out of sight, but he kept his Byakugan trained on Hinata's location. He waited for about five minutes before he saw someone coming.

But, it wasn't Naruto. Ko tried to call out to Hinata but was stopped when someone grabbed him from behind and clamped their hand over his mouth.

Ko's eyes widened as he brought his vision back to himself and saw that there were three men in black cloaks and blank masks behind him. He was about to retaliate against the one holding him, but he was stopped when a sharp pain went across his throat.

The pain faded fast as he felt something warm run down his neck and chest. His body became heavy and he had trouble keeping his eyes opened.

The man released him as he started to fall forward. He fell to the ground as a pool of warm liquid began to form around him. He used his Byakugan to get one last look at Hinata's location. What saw brought a smile to his face.

"Go Naruto...do...what I cannot...I...trust Hinata-sama's safety...to you…" he thought as his eyes closed. He let out a soft breath for the last time, as a smirk spread across his blood covered face.

The man who hand slit his throat brought his hand up to his ear and activated his radio.

"Target eliminated, all outside threats removed. Proceed with the next step in the operation."

. . . .

Naruto found his way to the gardens and went to the great central tree. As he walked through the gardens he felt like something was off. He walked on in caution through the gardens. His eyes narrowed as his gut was trying to tell him something. "What's going on...why do I feel so tense?" he thought to himself as he made his way to the tree.

"Because your instincts are kicking in. Something isn't right. Be prepared for a fight, Kit." Kurama informed his host as he walked to the tree.

And when he got there, he was forced to jump into action as he saw a tall man moving to strike Hinata. "Hinata-chan!" he yelled before he dashed towards his target and went to kick the man in the face with a flying back kick.

The man turned his head at the last second to see where the noise came from and received a blow to his chin that sent him staggering back.

Naruto stood in front of Hinata in the stance Kurama had been teaching him for over sixty hours in his mindscape. Hinata was shaking in fear behind Naruto. She reached out and held onto his arm like a lifeline and hid behind him, not knowing what was going on. The man had come out of nowhere and threatened her. She was so scared, but then, Naruto showed up and knocked the man away. He was there. He saved her. Her fears disappeared for a moment before the man stood back up and looked at them with furious eyes.

"Tsk, looks like I have to get rid of a witness now…" the man huffed as a kunai appeared in his hand and made his way back over to Naruto. The man stopped however, narrowing his eyes at Naruto for a brief moment before a massive grin appeared on his face. "Those marks on your face. I've seen those before." he mused. "Yeah, old Ginkaku and Kinkaku had marks just like yours after they got out of the Kyuubi's stomach. So, this means your a little Jinchuuriki aren't ya brat?" he said before a dark chuckle escaped his lips. "How lucky am I. A Byakugan and a Jinchuuriki. Raikage-sama will be so pleased!" he said before he dashed forward towards the two children.

Naruto readied himself to fight the man. He felt Hinata's grasp tighten on him as the man moved forwards. Naruto looked back at her and gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'll protect you!"

. . . .

(A/N): To be continued…

Bulba Fett: Welp, I had fun. Went to visit my sister, who decided to meet me halfway in Jacksonville instead of in South Carolina. Saw Hidden Figures, ate some food, and now I'm back :D

The next few chapters should have some noticeable differences in them, so that's something to look forwards too. I also got bored and decided to see if I still had any skill with the Drawing Pad I have not used in almost a year, so, I made a new cover for the story. Honestly, I'm a little impressed I could still do well with it, especially since this was the first time I had ever used Paint Tool Sai xD

Oh, and if anyone hadn't noticed, and are Elder Scrolls fans, I have a Elder Scrolls story up. Only a chapter in so far, and I'm gonna wait till I have 15 follows on it to see if I should keep writing it or not. Don't wanna waste time on something no one's gonna read after all :/

Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 6: Wake Up Call From The Shadows

. . . .

 _Naruto readied himself to fight the man. He felt Hinata's grasp tighten on him as the man moved forwards. Naruto looked back at her and gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'll protect you!"_

. . . .

Risho stared at the Jinchuuriki who had kicked him. Was this kid really this ballsy? Or was he just stupid? Well, since Risho was an A rank Jounin of Kumogakure, the latter option was the more likely answer.

"Pft, yeah right kid. Look, brat, if you move now, I won't hurt you. But if ya stay in my way, I may have to rough you up a bit before I take you with me." Risho said with an amused snicker. "Now, come with me all nice and quiet like, and I won't have to break your legs."

Naruto stared the man down with more conviction that any six year old had any reasonable right to possess. Naruto stamped his foot on the ground and puffed out his chest in defiance. "No! I won't let you hurt Hinata-chan!" he said as loud as he could, his voice filled with confidence.

The man just looked at him like he was an idiot, while Hinata looked at the boy in front of her with stars in her eyes. How could he be so courageous? He was her age and already so...so...so strong! She had seen him when he was at his lowest. She had seen his dark and lonely eyes when he let his mask slip. But this? This was pure confidence and a resilience that could object to any authority.

"Well, you brought this on yourself kid." he said as he quickly unsheathed a kunai and casually threw it at Naruto's leg. Naruto's eyes widened as he watched the blade move through the air. On pure instinct his hands made three hand signs and pulsed his chakra.

All in the span of an instant, the Jounin threw the blade at the blond, but once the kunai hit, the boy burst into smoke, taking the girl with him. What the kunai actually hit was a discarded watering can from across the gardens. Risho's eyes widened as he watched the six years old, not even Academy age brat, perform a perfect Kawarimi, with two people, no less. He chuckled darkly as he turned towards the children's new location. "Impressive, brat. I didn't think you would already know how to do that. Well, this time, I won't miss." he said as he blurred out of sight in a burst of speed towards the blond who struck him and ran.

Naruto and Hinata appeared at the edge of the Gardens and Naruto instantly grabbed onto Hinata's hand. "Come on we need to run!" he said as he started to drag her behind him. She ran as fast as she could with him, albeit stumbling slightly every now and then. They had made it out of the gardens and were halfway to a place Naruto knew they would be safe.

His shack.

Nobody would think to look in an abandoned supply shack that doesn't even have a door, right? Apparently he was wrong. Evidently, it was the first place the guy would look, since he was currently blocking them off from entering the Shack, by standing DIRECTLY in front of the door. Naruto dug his heels into the ground to come to a full stop. Hinata crashed into his back and fell back, hitting the ground, and yelping in pain.

Naruto's eyes were wide as he looked at the smirking Jounin. How did he get there so fast!? It just wasn't possible! Naruto froze in fear as he started to feel something coming from the man. It washed over him in waves as the man slowly began to walk towards him.

Risho cocked his head to the side and let loose a sadistic grin. "Oh? Can't handle a little killing intent? That's a shame for a little Jinchuuriki." he said with mock sympathy. He slowly made his way to the cowering youth and the girl he was defending.

Naruto began to shake slightly. What was he going to do!? " _Kurama!"_ he mentally shouted, trying to get some help from the fox. Even if it was just words that the fox offered, it was enough. Anything that could help him.

The fox stirred in his slumber, grumbling about loud little brats and not enough sleep. It wasn't until he felt the adrenaline running through the brats body did he wake fully to see just why he was woken up. And to be completely honest, the fox was surprised.

" _ **What the hell, brat!? I go to sleep for three fucking hours and you're in a fight or flight situation!? What the hell happened between you and that little Hyuuga vixen!?"**_ the fox sputtered as he took in as much of the situation as he could. To say the least, it was NOT GOOD. He took a quick look through Naruto's recent memories to catch up on the situation at hand. Apparently, the Ambassador for the 'Peace Talks' was being at least a little more...hostile, than what was strictly necessary for what he was there to do. It seemed to the fox that the man's main objective, was the Hyuuga brat, or more likely, her eyes. But when Naruto cut in, well, shit hit the fan real fast.

" _ **Really, you idiotic waste of fucking space!? REALLY?! You just had to play the goddamn hero, you dipshit!? Dammit, Kit!"**_ the fox roared in the blond's head. The fox needed to find a way out of this. Because, with his vessel being a six year old, he doubted that the little twerp could think of something fast enough.

And then a thought popped into his head. Why wasn't anyone helping them? Surely they could have felt the chakra Naruto used to do a double Kawarimi? What was going on? Well, Kurama would have to fix that. " _ **Okay brat, listen to me on this one. This may hurt a bit since your body won't be able to handle the pressure, but you're gonna have to get over it. I'm going to flush my chakra through your system for a quick second, and alert everyone in the compound."**_ Kurama instructed he blond. Naruto could only nod as he inched away from the approaching Kumo Jounin.

He was about ten feet away when he suddenly felt something...off about the blond in front of him. Risho narrowed his eyes and stopped his advance. What was going on? And then it hit him. Literally. Red chakra poured out of the blond in a violent wave, forcing trees to bend, and the grass to flatten against the ground. He was forced to brace himself from the winds that the chakra was giving off.

Hinata, strangely, was unaffected by the gale force winds, almost like they were just going right around the girl, not even touching her. She looked up at Naruto as the chakra seemed to literally pour out of his body. The little whisker marks on his cheeks became...rougher, thicker, darker, more pronounced, and more jagged. More rugged, in a sense. His hair spiked higher and a feral, cruel, glint twinkled in his eyes. But those weren't the only changes to his features. His canines grew longer, sharper, and tougher, as his nails turned into claws, his impossibly bright blue eyes turned into the deep crimson of freshly spilled blood, and his pupils became slitted vertically.

The chakra itself he was exuding was incredible. It became so dense that it had easily become visible to her even without her Byakugan. And...it was beautiful. At least, it would be, if it wasn't for the malice, hatred, and all around evil feeling that buried itself into her soul, just from being around it. So, the Hyuuga Heiress was in a mixed state of awe, and fear.

As for Naruto himself, all that could be said, was that he was in pain. A unbelievable amount of pain. His body felt like he had magma running through his veins. Every part of him burned. But that wasn't the worst part of it. The worst part, was the voices. The loud, shouting, angry voices in his head.

" _Monster!"_

" _Demon!"  
_ " _Damn you! You beast!"_

" _You damn monster!"_

" _Bastard!"_

" _You are too dangerous to roam freely!"_

" _Get away!"_

" _Run you beast! No one will ever want you!"_

" _It I will trap you within myself so you can harm no one!"_

" _You filth!"_

" _It seems we're stuck together. But it's good. At least you can't hurt anyone while locked away."_

The voices ran through his mind at an impossible speed. It was nearly maddening. They came as soon as they went, only to be replaced by a different voice. The anger, the contempt. It was worse than the dream he had about the two men. This...this was pure, distilled, unadulterated, hatred. And it wasn't directed towards anyone specific. It was, simply, just general hatred. Hatred for everyone, everything, and everywhere.

The voices continued without pause. But, there was one voice. A single voice that rang out through all the rest, a voice that was stronger, richer, and kinder than any other voice. One voice that didn't hold any hatred. One voice that called out in a comforting voice.

" _Kurama…..Kurama…..Kurama come to me child….my dear Kurama….why do you cry?"_ the voice called. It was getting fainter by the second, but Naruto could still hear it. He could pick it out over the ever changing screams of hate. It was the only constant. The only voice that didn't change. It was so….so warm….so kind!

. . . .

Meanwhile

. . . .

Kakashi was NOT having a good time. He was heading back from the Hokage tower after talking to the Hokage about Naruto's issues with the Bunshin no Jutsu. After explaining that Naruto had FAR too much chakra to ever attempt to perform the technique, he had gotten permission to teach Naruto a jutsu much more fitting for his particular...strengths. So, here he was, heading back to the Hyuuga Compound to start teaching the little blonde, when three men in blank masks very foolishly decided to get in his way.

They stood in a triangle formation around him, trying to cut off any and all possible escape routes. One in front and two off to the sides and behind. The one to his front pulled free a tanto, and settled into a defensive stance, a stance that was mimicked by his two comrades. "We cannot allow you to pass Inu-san. Our operation requires you to be out of the picture for the next fifteen minutes." he warned in a monotone voice.

Kakashi narrowed his eye at the three of them from behind his mask. He opened his left eye, revealing his sharingan, preparing for a fight. The leader of the masked shinobi saw the faint red glow coming from the Anbu's left eye and instantly tensed. "We do not wish to fight you Inu-san. What we do is for the betterment of Konoha." he warned Kakashi a final time, tensing his legs and preparing to pounce at any given moment.

Kakashi freed one of his Anbu issued Kunai, the difference being that it was very subtly curved and about three inches longer than a standard kunai. "Sorry, but you're keeping me from my own mission. So, you'll either have to get out of my way...or die. It's your choice really." Kakashi replied in his usual lazy drawl. The blank masked men didn't even bother to respond at this point, and instead stupidly opted to dash forward and attack the currently strongest ANBU Captain.

The tomoi in Kakashi's left eye began to spin as soon as the first of the three made his move, casting a genjutsu on him, and sending his first attack far off to his left. Kakashi brought up his knee and smashed it into the man's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He quickly followed with an elbow to the back of the man's neck, before he jumped into the air to avoid horizontal slashes from the two other shinobi. He continued to spin in the air and threw a veritable rain of shuriken down onto the three of them.

The two who hadn't taken the first hit avoided the attack with ease, but the one who had just been hit, fell victim to the rain of metal as three shuriken struck his spine, severing his spinal cord in three places, and killing him instantly. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the two other shinobi when he observed no reaction from them as their comrade died right in front of them. He had also noticed that they made absolutely no move to assist him in any way. "This is troublesome…" he said to himself as he landed on an opposite rooftop.

The two living masked men decided to sweep to his sides and attack him in a pincer formation with their tanto's. The first one came from Kakashi's left, and he brought up his kunai to deflect the strike as he then proceeded to spin in place, slashing out at the second man while bringing his heel up to strike the first.

His kunai was blocked while the other man ducked under his kick, but he wasn't done. He used his current momentum to continue spinning and quickly fell into a leg sweep, effectively catching the one who ducked and knocked him off his feet. He continued with his spin and brought his kunai in an upward slash at the still standing man. The slash was blocked again, but this time Kakashi was able to break through the man's guard. So, spinning for one last time he brought his kunai down on the fallen man, catching him in the throat with the blade, and, leaving his kunai in his throat, Kakashi lashed his leg out and slammed his foot into the other man, sending him flying across the roof.

Kakashi sighed as he pulled his kunai out of the dead man's throat and looked back to the one he just kick. He was slowly getting up, his hand holding onto his stomach in pain. Kakashi shook his head, disappointed at how green these guys were. And they honestly thought they could beat him? Sure they had the numbers, but no where near the skill level needed to effectively back it up against him.

"So," Kakashi said while spinning his blade into a reverse grip. "You gonna give up and talk, or am I gonna have to give you to Ibiki for a little...incentive?" he asked as he readied to re-engage. The man however, sheathed his tanto, and got out of his fighting stance.

"Remember this, Inu-san." the man said to Kakashi before he made the Ram seal. "A tree cannot grow without strong Roots. Aoi Hi Hofuku! (Blue Fire Retribution)" he called before a quick burst of chakra caused the man to burst into blue flames. Kakashi's eyes widened as he watched the man burn himself to death without a single sound. He burned until he was just a pile of ash blowing in the wind.

Kakashi shook his head and sighed. "At least I have the other two…" he said before turning back to the two dead bodies, planning to give them over to Inoichi so he could have his fun. But as he turned, the bodies also burst into flames and burned to ash in the span of a few short seconds. Kakashi growled. "Dammit…" he hissed, under his breath, before taking off towards the Hyuuga Compound.

He was just over the walls when he felt it.

"Naruto!" he yelled in worry as he felt the highly oppressive chakra of the Kyuubi no Yoko erupt from the blonds location. "Dammit, am I too late!?" he said to himself as he hurried to help Naruto.

But what he didn't expect, was to feel the chakra disappear as quickly as it came. And he was also not expecting to see Hyuuga Hiashi, the clan head himself, standing over the dead body of the Kumo ambassador, in a defensive stance facing away from Naruto, who himself was in a defensive stance in front of a small girl who appeared to be the Clan Heiress, Hyuuga Hinata.

He tried to hide before being caught by the Hyuuga Clan Head, but it was a wasted effort. "Come on out, Inu-san. I know you're there." he called out, to seemingly no one in particular.

Naruto stiffened, as he watched Hiashi. Was he going to be in trouble? Was he going to hurt him again? And why hadn't Inu shown up earlier? He turned to see Inu appear out of the shadows and bow his head to Hiashi. "I am sorry for trespassing Hiashi-sama, but I had felt the massive spike of Chakra and felt that I should come to investigate." he said, to the Clan Head. Hiashi sighed and shook his head slowly.

"Don't bother Inu-san. I know you've been coming here almost every night to check on Naruto." he said to the Anbu Captain.

The blond stiffened again and started weighing his potential options. Should he run? Should he stay, and hear this out, waiting to see what would happen? Or should he fight and see if he could make it out of the compound with Inu? His musing was cut off when Kurama confirmed something.

" _ **Calm yourself Kit. I feel no ill intentions coming from the Hyuuga."**_ he said, almost seeming bored, within Naruto's mind. It helped, but not much. Naruto was still very wary of the adult Hyuuga.

Hiashi turned to Naruto with a raised eyebrow. How was he able to control the Kyuubi like that? The child was basically swimming in its vile chakra and he had still retained his sanity enough to divert the chakra from harming his daughter. How was he able to do it? "Naruto." he said to the boy.

Naruto took a step back in fear of the man. Hinata stood up and moved to stand between Naruto and Hiashi.

"O-Otou-sama! Please don't h-hurt Naruto-kun! H-He was trying to save me!" she defended her friend with all the courage she could muster. She had seen what Kouen had done to Naruto, and she wouldn't let her father do the same, at least without trying to stop him first.

Hiashi sighed and shook his head. "Calm down Hinata. I wasn't going to hurt him. I wanted to thank him." he clarified. Hinata was stunned by Hiashi's tone. He was calm, almost emotionless, but he had a hint of warmth in his tone that shocked everyone present and alive.

He looked to Naruto with a sad smile. "Naruto, thank you for defending my Daughter. I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. If you didn't defend her...I don't know if I would have made it in time…" he said as he bowed his head to the boy.

Naruto was shocked to say the least. Here was the first adult of the Main Family to show him respect and not instantly want to hurt him. And to top it all off, the man was the Clan Head! Naruto was officially very confused.

"Uh...y-you're welcome? I-I didn't r-really do much. A-And I know I-I'm not even really supposed to talk to Hinata-chan…" he babbled, trying to work his head around this situation, not knowing particularly what he should say. Hiashi's head perked up when he heard Naruto say he wasn't allowed to talk to Hinata. He growled slightly at the thought of the Elders trying to separate his daughter from people who she could potentially consider very close friends. Then, a thought came to him.

Where was Ko? He was supposed to be watching them.

Hiashi activated his Byakugan and did a quick scan of the area, until he found what he was looking for. Or, at least, the person he wanted to find.

He never wanted this to happen.

He turned back to Inu with a grim look on his face and shook his head. "Inu-san, if you could please escort Hinata and Naruto back to their rooms, I have some...business that requires my attention, and my attention alone…" he said, before he began to slowly and calmly walk away, letting his voice trail off softly as he moved from the small group.

Hinata looked after her father with worry and tried to go after him to catch up with her father, but Inu stood in her path and gently put his hand on her shoulder, very delicately guiding her in the opposite direction. "Come on, Hinata-sama. It's very late and you ought to be off to bed." he said in a soft, calming, voice. Hinata looked up at the man nervously, not inclined to trust him after what had just happened to her in the last couple of minutes.

Naruto saw her worry and walked over to her. He grabbed her hand and smiled wide. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. Inu is a pretty cool guy." he said to her, trying to calm her down.

She tentatively nodded and let Inu lead her back to her room in the estate. That had just left Naruto alone outside of his shack, the Ambassador's body was still lying on the ground, motionless.

Naruto looked at the dead man and nervously gulped. It wasn't the first time he'd seen someone's dead body before. Growing up in the Red Light district kinda opened him up to quite a few very dark things a child shouldn't have to ever see. But, it was the way he had died, and the way Hiashi had killed him that worried him.

. . . .

 _Flashback_

. . . .

Naruto let his chakra flow towards the man, hoping to stall him long enough for someone, anyone to show up in time to save them. He knew for a fact he would lose if he tried to fight the man. Even with the power he had suddenly gotten from Kurama wouldn't help him. And the only thing keeping him in the right mind was that single voice. The calm, soothing, voice of the elderly man, calling out to Kurama.

Naruto shifted his right foot forward, pushing the winds to keep batting away at the man. Risho brought both of his arms up to block the winds from his face as best he could, and dug in his feet. "This is quite the power you've got, brat! But it ain't close to enough to keep me away!" he shouted over the winds, before he channeled chakra into his legs and began to move. He took a step forward, using chakra to keep his feet down onto the ground.

He kept moving forward until he was within arms reach of the blond. "Game over brat!" he roared as he reached his hand up and curled it into a fist. He would have driven it into Naruto's head, had someone of not gotten in his way.

"Enough!" Hiashi shouted as he appeared in front of Naruto and Hinata, blocking the man's way. "You are within my field of divination!" he said as he crouched into the Hyuuga's proud Taijutsu stance known as the Jyuuken. "Jūkenhō: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō! (Gentle Fist Style: Eight Trigram 64 Palms)" he exclaimed before he dashed forward, jabbing his fingers into the man's chest. "Two palms! Four palms! Eight palms!" he called as he continued his onslaught. "Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!" he roared as he brought up his hands for the final blow. He slammed both of his palms into the man's chest, sending chakra spikes into his heart and lungs, sending the man spiraling onto the ground. He was dead before he even landed on the ground, taken by complete surprise.

. . . .

 _Flashback End_

. . . .

Naruto shuddered at the memory before stepping around Risho's body and entering his shack.

He sat on his cot and flopped down onto his back. "Man...that's one tough move to beat." he said to himself before closing his eyes. Kurama snorted in his mind.

" _ **Please, once I'm done with you, that pathetic technique will be nothing."**_ he chuckled darkly before letting out a yawn.

Naruto snickered and rolled onto his side. He let out a loud yawn before curling up in his blanket. "I'm with ya there Kurama. Goodnight..." he said before quickly drifting off to sleep.

Kakashi walked into the shack, holding onto a scroll. He had just been told by Hiashi that he would take full responsibility for the disruption Naruto caused when he released some of the Kyuubi's chakra. He also explained that there were chakra suppression seals all around the Compound so that no one could sense the use of chakra from the outside of the compound, so this cover up would be isolated to the Hyuuga alone.

Kakashi then inquired after what he was going to do with the Ambassador. Hiashi responded by saying he had no particular plan at the moment. He knew this was not going to be a good thing for the peace talks, since he had just killed their Ambassador that they had been charged with keeping safe. So, all in all, anything could happen. But for now he had the body taken to the T&I department.

Throughout their talk, Hiashi almost seemed pained by something, but he didn't ever say what. Hiashi then told Kakashi he knew that he had been coming by to check on Naruto, and he was okay with that. As long as it was only Naruto. He would not tolerate the ANBU snooping about his Compound, and getting more involved in Hyuuga business. So Kakashi agreed that he would only ever enter Naruto's shack, and no other buildings while he was in the Compound.

And with that, Hiashi left Kakashi to do what he needed to do. The ANBU Captain returned to Naruto's shack, thinking that the blond would be scared and maybe would need someone to calm him down. But what he saw completely threw him for a loop.

There was the blond that had just utilized a demon's chakra, witnessed a murder, and had nearly been kidnapped. Sleeping like a baby with a content smile.

"I'll keep an eye on you...this isn't normal." he mumbled to himself. He turned to leave, but before he did he walked over to Naruto's cot and placed a scroll down next to him and patted the boy's head. "Goodnight, Naruto-kun." he whispered before he vanished in a small puff of smoke.

. . . .

Kouen growled as he looked at Hiashi. "I cannot believe you let this happen, you ingrate!" he roared as he slammed his hand onto Hiashi's desk. The Clan Head glared at the man in front of him before standing, showing that he was close to a foot taller than the Elder.

"Oh? And who do you think you are calling an ingrate? I am your Clan Head, you old fool. And I will only warn you this one time. While you are in my presence you will follow my orders. And if you hadn't noticed, you are alone here. If you dare insult me again, I. Will. Kill. You." he growled, activating his Byakugan for an added effect.

Kouen scowled, but backed down. He was right, he was alone. It would take most of the Elders combined to defeat their Clan Head, but he still had a glaring weakness they could exploit.

His daughters.

"Tell me Hiashi-sama..." he growled out. "What do you intend to do now? You have just murdered the Kumogakure Ambassador! He was here for peace! And you go and kill him for being in your fool of a daughter's presence!? You may have just escalated the war we are already in!" he howled, his face contorting in anger.

Hiashi leveled his cold eyes on the Elder and sneered at him. "I will do what I must to protect my family Elder Kouen. And I hope you remember that." he growled to the man.

Kouen nodded but pressed on a different matter. "And what of the Demon brat? Why was he out of his cage, hm? He should be severely punished for defying me." he said, with a sinister glint in his eyes.

Hiashi let out a low growl before jabbing a finger at the old man's chest. "I did not sanction those rules, Elder Kouen, which you are well aware of. So you will not punish him. That boy saved my daughter tonight, and he was even willing to utilize his tenants abilities to do so. He has earned my respect, and will be rewarded for his deed. So, if I hear you call him something he is not again, I will take the utmost pleasure in gutting you. Consequences be damned." he said, while punctuating his words by jabbing his finger at the man.

Kouen paled and quickly backed away. "You will pay for your actions Hiashi. You just don't know when it will happen." Kouen warned before leaving Hiashi's office.

The Clan Head let out an agitated sigh as he slumped back into his chair. He reached over to a desk drawer and opened it. Inside was a picture frame that had a young woman with fair skin and indigo hair. She had a soft smile that caused her lavender eyes to shine. Hiashi sighed sadly before rubbing his thumb over the picture.

"Hitomi…" he sighed as his features softened and his shoulders slacked. "If only you were here...you always knew what to do…"

. . . .

Kakashi knelt before his Hokage that night, retelling what he had seen and experienced. Hiruzen sat behind his desk, his favorite wooden pipe on hand. He took a long drag from his pipe before expelling the smoke with a sigh.

"Are you certain Kakashi? Are you completely sure he said those exact words?" he asked his Anbu Captain with worry. Kakashi nodded to the elderly Hokage. "Yes Sandaime-sama. He indeed stated that, 'A tree cannot grow without strong Roots' before he activated a group suicide Jutsu." he explained, while bowing his head.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed yet again and turned his chair to look out the window to the rising sun. "Kakashi, I need a drink. Care to join me?" he asked in a defeated tone. Kakashi blinked a few times before nodding.

"I'd like that, but...I have not finished my report." he said in a hesitant tone. Hiruzen's chair turned back to the silver haired man.

"Go on." he said in a serious tone. Kakashi nodded and continued his report. "Once I arrived at the Hyuuga Compound, I instantly felt the Kyuubi's chakra being used." he said to the Hokage, causing the man to gasp.

"Naruto! Naruto! Is he alright Kakashi! What was going on!" Hiruzen said frantically, worried for his surrogate grandson. Kakashi held up his hands to try and calm the village leader.

"He's fine, just fine. It's actually very strange just how fine he was considering what had happened." he said, trying to calm his lord. Hiruzen scowled before returning to his chair.

"Well, what happened!?" he roared, wanting answers, and wanting them fast.

"It seemed Naruto was using the Kyuubi's chakra as a way to defend the young Hyuuga Heiress, Hinata, from the Kumogakure Ambassador. Apparently, he was trying to kidnap her." he explained to the Hokage.

Hiruzen growled in anger. "That snake! When I catch him, I will kill him with my own hands. How dare he come into my village under the pretense of peace and then try to kidnap one of my citizens!" he roared out in anger, standing up from his chair. Kakashi again raised his hands to calm the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama! Ambassador Risho has already been dealt with! Before he could make a move on Naruto and Hinata that would hurt them, Hiashi-sama showed up and personally killed the man." he explained.

Hiruzen huffed in anger, most likely from not getting the pleasure of killing the man himself. "Well, then what else happened?" he asked in an impatient growl.

"Well," Kakashi started. "Hiashi-sama...he thanked Naruto. It was...how should I say this. Very out of character. He even bowed to the boy. I've never seen him act so respectful to someone very clearly below his station." he said with a bewildered sigh.

Hiruzen was shocked by this. It _was_ completely out of character. Why would the man who commissioned the boy into slavery show such respect to him? Unless…

"Kakashi!" he said urgently. "Over your time watching him, how many times had Naruto previously spoken to Hiashi?" he asked the Anbu Captain. Kakashi thought for a moment, putting his hand on his chin.

"Actually, Hokage-sama, I believe that was the first time the two had even met, much less spoken. I don't even know if Naruto fully recognized who exactly he was talking to. To be honest, the only members from the Main House he had previously met, were Kouen and Hinata." he clarified for the Hokage.

Hiruzen's eyes widened when the truth of what happened dawned on him. Hiashi had nothing to do with Naruto's enslavement. "There is a descent in power among the Hyuuga…" he breathed. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and chose to sate his curiosity.

"Hokage-sama, what do you mean?" he asked his lord. Hiruzen looked to Kakashi with hardened eyes.

"Kakashi, I want you to begin your propaganda campaign as soon as possible. But don't point it at the Main House. No, point it only on the Elders. They are the root to our problem." he confirmed. "They're the ones pulling the strings. So, if we find a way to remove them, the Hyuuga Clan will finally have its hierarchy of power fixed...and we won't have to resort to...more extreme measures."

. . . .

Kouen walked from Hiashi's office with a scowl plastered on his face, but once he left Hiashi's estate and made his way to his own home, his scowl turned into a sinister grin. He walked into his silent home and moved to a closed door.

He reached for the handle and turned, opening the door slowly.

The inside of the room was dark, save for a five candles placed on a small shrine. On the shrine were five different pictures. One was of a elderly woman, she had long greying brown hair and a warm smile. Next to her was a young man, his hair cut short and his eyes confidant. Two photo's stood next to his, and they were of a young woman and a small child. The woman with long indigo hair and a narrow face. The child was a little boy with a large grin on his face. And the final photo was of a sleeping baby, wrapped in a blue blanket.

Kouen knelt in front of the shrine and bowed his head to the images. He grimaced as he remembered their names, their voices, their faces. He let out a shuddering breath before looking back to the photo's. "Soon...the demon who took you from me will pay….Danzo-sama has ensured it…"

. . . .

Naruto woke up early the next morning. The sun was just rising enough for some of the light to trickle into his room. He slowly sat up from his cot and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He yawned as he stretched his arms and looked down next to him. And his eyes widened.

He scrambled for the scroll that was placed next to his cot and opened. He could hear Kurama chuckle in his mind as a similar thought came to both the demon and the child.

"This will be very useful…" Naruto said for the both of them as he read through the scroll.

" _ **Useful indeed...this will work perfectly for you."**_ Kurama chuckled as he thought of the possibilities the boy could have with this jutsu.

Naruto nodded. "I definitely need to learn this as soon as possible. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, you are my next goal!"

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued…**

 **Bulba Fett: You know...I kinda timed this one perfectly. The original chapter for this came out on Valentine's Day, and now this comes out on Valentine's Day only one year later?**

 **Freaky.**

 **Oh god I just realized I've been writing for over a year now...And I've written the equivalent of 6 books...I really need to find a way to make money off this shit…**

 **Anyway,**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, I'll see ya next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 7: Loss

. . . .

 _He scrambled for the scroll that was placed next to his cot and opened. He could hear Kurama chuckle in his mind as a similar thought came to both the demon and the child._

" _This will be very useful…" Naruto said for the both of them as he read through the scroll._

" _ **Useful indeed...this will work perfectly for you."**_ _Kurama chuckled as he thought of the possibilities the boy could have with this jutsu._

 _Naruto nodded. "I definitely need to learn this as soon as possible. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, you are my next goal!"_

. . . .

"Kage Bunshin-" Naruto began to yell before he fell to his knees panting in exhaustion. The boy was again in his mindscape with Kurama. It was the same morning he had acquired the scroll for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Art of the Doppelganger), and he had been working at the jutsu for six hours within his mind.

Kurama sighed and looked at the boy with half hooded eyes. " **Give it a rest Kit. It's amazing you were able to make anything at your age, let alone twenty clones."** he grumbled to the boy, lazily trying to keep him from knocking himself out from exhaustion. Naruto looked up at the fox with a half hearted glare while he continued to breath hard.

"Twen-twenty clones is-is nothing….I-I can make mo-more, dattebayo!" he yelled between breaths and pumped a fist into the air. But that wasn't what caused Kurama's ear to twitch. Sure the brat had spunk, but something in that sentence caught the attention of the fox.

" **What was that?"** he asked in a low voice. Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the fox, finally getting his breathing under control.

"What do you mean? All I said was I could do more than twenty clones." he said confusedly. Kurama shook his head and narrowed his eyes.

" **No, it was at the end...you said something...what was it."** he asked in a curious tone as his ears bent back and he bent down to look at the boy.

Naruto blushed and scratched the side of his cheek nervously. "I-I don't know w-what you're talkin' about...dattebayo…" he grumbled as he averted his eyes from the fox. After saying that Kurama's ears perked up and his eyes widened.

" **Was...was that a verbal tic?"** he asked the boy, barely holding his snickers as he pointed at the boy with a shaky paw. Naruto's face exploded into red, though whether it was from anger or embarrassment, we will likely never know. "So-so what i-if it was!? Ya overgrown fox! Dattebayo!" he howled in embarrassment and anger at the fox, just before Kurama burst into laughter, holding his sides as he rolled on the ground.

" **Oh Kami that's fucking hilarious! Oh man! This is rich! Fucking hilarious!"** he cackled between fits of laughter which caused Naruto to growl loudly before the boy began to angrily trod off from the cage. Kurama rolled over to look at the boy and couldn't help but try and hold back his laughter. " **Aww, come-come on b-brat! I-I didn't mean-mean it i-in a bad way!"** he tried to hold back, he really did. But just the thought of the verbal tic being so much like 'hers' just made him lose it.

Naruto growled before he started to fade from the mindscape. "I'm leaving!" he yelled before he flipped the ancient demon the bird. Kurama mock pouted at the boy as he left he mindscape.

" **Aww, don't be like that! Come on I was just tryin' to have some fun!"** he yelled after the boy as he left.

It wasn't until Naruto was completely out of the mindscape and turned the connection between him and the fox off did Kurama calm himself. He let out one final chuckle before laying back down and resting his muzzle on his front paws. ' _ **He can be so much like that damn man that I forgot he was almost a carbon copy of**_ **her** _ **. Oh well, it's good to get a little laugh in while we can...I can feel the negativity in the compound, and I think the Kit is in for a rude awakening…'**_ he thought to himself as he closed his eyes to return to his naps.

. . . .

Naruto grumbled as he opened his eyes and stretched his stiff arms and legs. "Stupid fox...stupid speech thing…" he grumbled and walked over to his sink to wash his face and hair. After cleaning up he watered Kakutasu-chan before sealing the Kage Bunshin scroll away in his dresser drawer.

He was looking in his mirror while adjusting his goggles on his head when he heard a knock on his shack wall. It was earlier than normal for Ko to show up, but he didn't mind. It just meant more time to spend with Ko and work in the gardens.

He walked over to the curtain door with a smile on his face expecting his friend and guide to be on the other side with breakfast in hand. But his smile faded when he saw who it was.

"T-Tora-jisan?" he said in mild confusion when he saw the elderly gardener standing there with a somber look on his face. He gave Naruto a sad smile before he sighed. "Hey there Naruto-kun. Can...can I come in for a moment? I have something I need to tell you." he said in a saddened tone.

. . . .

Naruto's sobs could be heard throughout the compound as members of the Branch Family gathered around his shack to see what the commotion was about. It wasn't until Mina shooed them away did she enter Naruto's shack to see the boy crying in Tora's arms. The old man rubbed the boy's back as he tried to calm him down. But, he didn't blame the child for acting like he was.

He had been through a hellish life before coming to the compound under the promise of family and safety, to only be treated as a slave and someone less than human. And for one of the few who treated him with kindness and like an actual person, to suddenly disappear from the boy's life?

It showed just how cruel the world could be.

Tora looked up to Mina with a sad look in his eyes as she took Naruto into her arms. She rubbed his back and held him close to her. He held onto her like a lifeline as his sobs began to calm down. He just silently cried into the crook of her neck as she ran her fingers through his hair and whispered comforting words into his ears. She looked to Tora and nodded to him that he could take his leave and go about his duties.

He nodded to her and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder one last time before he left the shack. Outside of the shack, Tora saw Michiko and Mira, his fellow gardeners, waiting for him. They walked to the gardens in silence until Mira voiced her worries. "How is he Tora-san? I could hear him all the way from the gardens." she asked in a concerned voice. She, along with several other mothers of the Branch Family, had quickly taken to the little blond boy and almost considered him her own. But to hear him like this and not be able to do anything about it broke her heart. Tora was already pushing the Elder's patience by telling Naruto what had happened, and the others couldn't just break their rule. They had family to look after while Tora's were already grown and could defend themselves.

Tora sighed as he sat down on a bench in the gardens. "He's taking it pretty rough. He liked Ko a lot...he's too young for this…" he sighed as he looked down at his hands. They were frail, wrinkled and calloused from years of work, not only in the field as a gardener, but as a shinobi.

Back in his day he was a Genin for the messenger unit in the first Great Shinobi war. He had seen things that no child should have seen. And when a mission went wrong, he watched both of his brothers die in front of him, all while only being three years older than Naruto.

He then grew up to be a Jonin in the second war. He fought in several of the more intense battles. He lost friends, family, and comrades alike. He even lost his entire unit to an Iwa ambush where he was left alone in a field of dead bodies, lying under the cold body of his commanding officer.

He had been to hell and back...and he knew Naruto was going to be on the early road to the same place.

His days as a Shinobi were long behind him, between the years of idle rest, and various injuries that his old age only seemed to worsen, he knew he couldn't protect Naruto like he wished.

But dammit if he wasn't going to try!

Mira sat next to him and sighed sadly. "Ko was way to young to go like that...Do you know how Hiroki is taking it?" she asked the older man with a sad look. Tora sighed as he shook his head. "She's taking it just as bad. She hasn't left her house since she heard the news and she isn't letting anyone in either." he responded.

Michiko looked down and shook her head. "Why would something like this happen…"

. . . .

That night, Naruto wandered into the gardens in an aimless stride. He walked with his eyes downcast, not even caring about the amount of stealth he used to use while sneaking out. He continued walking until he came up on the old swing on the great tree. He slowly sat into the swing, straddling the wooden bench and holding onto the rope with both of his hands.

He always thought death wouldn't effect him.

He had seen plenty of dead people in the alleyways of the redlight district and grew numb to seeing such things. He had never thought it would impact him in the slightest. He use to think about the people who would be missing those dead bodies. Their families that would never see them or hear from them again. And then he'd think about what would happen if he had been that body. That was when the sick thought came to him that no one would cry. No one would care if he was gone, they'd just have one less thing to hate in the world.

Over time he began to just shake these thoughts off and would just continue on his way and not care about the lives of others. He could honestly say he couldn't care less who the person was in that alley.

He had just grown up like that.

But after gaining someone he could count on. Someone he could trust. And then losing them. He figured that he could finally relate to all those people that had lost someone they cared for in those alley's.

He didn't bother hiding his pain. He let it all out and finally decided that wearing a mask to hide it was too much to handle.

He didn't know how long he had sat there, but it felt like hours to him. He sat there with a blank expression on his face, the only emotion that could be seen was from the slow falling tears that were staining his cheeks. It wasn't for a few minutes later did he hear a sad sniffle. A quiet sob. And then the arms that wrapped him in a hug.

He blinked a few times, shocked by the sudden contact. He looked over to the person holding him, and it was Hinata. Her hair was a mess and it was painfully obvious she had been crying for a very long time. She buried her face into his chest and held onto him like a lifeline, quietly sobbing as she held him.

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked at her, holding onto him. Was she feeling like he was? Was she suffering like him? He slowly got off of the swing, the girl still holding onto him. He carefully brought her over to the tree and sat there with her.

And they stayed there until the sun rose, both of them falling asleep from emotional exhaustion as dawn broke on the horizon to bathe them in early morning golden light. .

. . . .

Two days passed before Ko's funeral was held. In that time the war between Konoha and Kumo escalated, resulting in several of the Branch Family shinobi being called to join the fighting. Among the groups that had left were Hizashi and his wife Mina, leaving both Naruto and their son Neji in Tora's capable hands.

The day of the funeral Naruto stood between Neji and Tora as they all watched the proceedings. A few Main Branch members showed up, more as a formality than an actual want to be their. Save for Hiashi and Hinata of course, accompanied by another Branch Family maid carrying a small child in her arms.

Hiroki never showed though.

. . . .

" **Again!"** Kurama called as Naruto ran through his hand signs.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called after he threw a single shuriken at the target ahead of him. The single shuriken quickly split into fifteen different bladed stars and all struck the target at the same time. Naruto cheered as he was finally able to get the jutsu off in time to get all of the blades to strike the same target.

It had been six months since Ko's funeral and Naruto decided to delve further into his training with Kurama, as well as starting his own private physical training. In the mornings he do as many pushups as he could without stopping (And for a six in a half year old, it was quite a lot), as well as doing as many sit ups as he could before he became exhausted. All after two hours in his mindscape training his ninjutsu, chakra control, and his personal taijutsu katas.

About a month after Inu gave Naruto the scroll for the Kage Bunshin, he returned and gave him the scrolls for two other jutsu. One was Doton: Dochu Eigyo no Jutsu (Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish) and the Shuriken/Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

With Dochu Eigyo, Naruto could make himself sink into the ground and move through the dirt as if he was swimming through water, reappearing through the ground, out of a tree, or even through walls at will. Even though the jutsu was extremely useful, it was only a C rank supplementary jutsu. The only drawback of the jutsu was that the longer you remain underground the more chakra the technique requires. But, with Naruto's abnormally large reserves, the jutsu was easy to keep up. The only hard part he had with it was just learning it and mastering it.

Out of all the jutsu he had learnt so far it was the most difficult, taking him a week while using the Mindscape and Kage Bunshin before he could completely submerge himself into the ground.

Currently, he was working on his mastery of the second jutsu the scroll had. Kurama smirked at him and nodded slowly. " **Good job Kit, that's some actual improvement since yesterday."** the fox said to the blond, making him smile from the complement. " **But,"** he mused while sticking his snout into the air. " **I won't really be impressed until you make one hundred copies."** he snarked at the boy, making a set goal for him to achieve while at the same time mocking the kid a bit.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the fox before puffing out his chest with as much bravado he could muster. "Oh yeah! Just watch me! I'll make a hundred copies by the end of the week, Dattebayo!" he exclaimed while thumping his chest with his fist. Kurama snickered at the child's act of confidence and shook his head.

" **Alright brat, if you can make one hundred copies by the end of the week, I'll teach you something special."** Kurama promised to the boy as he closed his eyes and laid down for one of his naps. Naruto beamed at the fox and started to bounce in place from excitement. "Really!? What is it!? What is it!? What is it!?" he cried as he bounced around making clones to further pester the beast.

Kurama growled in annoyance and shot the blond a dirty look. " **SHUT IT!"** he roared in annoyance, causing Naruto to fly back and the several clones he made to dispel. The blond landed on his back with a loud thud, and groaned as he sat up.

"Geez, all ya had to do was say so, no need to yell, dattebayo…" he grumbled as he stood up from his prone position.

Kurama growled at the boy. " **Leave now, that old man is getting close."** he grumbled at turned to return to his nap. Naruto nodded to the fox before he faded out of the mindscape.

. . . .

Naruto opened his eyes and stretched out his arms and legs before getting up from his cot and walking over to his sink to wash his face. As he dried off his face he heard Tora knock on his door.

Yes, door. Not wall next to his curtain, but an actual oak door, with a working door knob and all. Hiashi thought it would be rude to let his daughters savior freeze to death during the winter so he had a door installed for Naruto. The nights were still a little cold, but they were bearable with a little of Kurama's chakra running through him at night.

Naruto walked over to his door and opened it and smiled up at the elderly man. "Are you ready to go Naruto-kun?" he asked with a kind smile and held out a small box for Naruto to take. The blond smiled and nodded before he took the box and opened it to see what he was having for breakfast. Inside the box was two onigiri and a couple of rolled up scrambled eggs. A little on the light side, but hey, whatever to get him through the day.

After quickly downing the meal he followed Tora out of his shack and towards the Branch District of the Compound. Tora held the boy's hand as they walked through the street and came up on a medium sized house standing two stories tall. Tora walked onto the porch and knocked on the door. "Neji-kun! Are you ready!?" he called to the house as Naruto sat on the porch swing to wait for the final member of their little group. A few moments later the door unlocked and Neji walked out from the other side.

"Sorry Tora-san, I was eating and had to hurry." he said quickly as he closed the door behind him and locked it. He turned back to the two and gave Naruto a curt nod in greeting. Naruto returned his nod silently as Tora sighed at the two. So far they had been in the same group for five months and the two didn't really say much to each other. Neji mainly because he seemed to have a little too much pride to speak to a Hyuuga without the Byakugan, and Naruto...he just didn't like arrogant pricks. So, they just seemed to tolerate each other so they could do their job.

That job being Hyuuga Hinata's personal body guards alongside Tora and another Branch Member named Hyuuga Hara.

After Naruto's display the night he defended Hinata from Risho, Hiashi offered Naruto the position as one of Hinata's new bodyguards. He, Neji and Tora would look after Hinata during the morning and afternoon while Hara would guard and attend Hinata in the evening and at night.

The merry band of Hyuuga misfits made their way to the Main Estate and were greeted by Hinata and Hara. Hara was a average height woman with a muscular build in her early thirties and wore the customary Jounin attire with her Konoha Hitai-ate covering her Caged Bird Seal. She had short cropped brown hair and a serious look to her, but if you got past her more intimidating looks, she was a very kind and endearing woman.

Hara and Hinata smiled at the group as they walked up to them and Tora gave Hara a small bow. "Here to pick up for the day shift Hara-chan." he said to the woman with a kindly smile. Hara smirked at the old man and nodded.

"Alright Tora-san, I'll leave the little Hime and her spitfire of a sister to you three." she said as she walked off with a wave and a quick goodbye to Hinata.

Tora laughed his hearty laugh and turned to Hinata. "Speaking of spitfires, Hinata-sama, where is Hanabi-sama?" he asked and Hinata perked up like she was caught day dreaming. "Uh-uh...Ha-Hanabi-chan is still sleeping." she stuttered as she gave a light blush and pushed her forefingers together. Tora chuckled and gave her shoulder a light squeeze before turning to Naruto and Neji. "Well, can I trust you two to watch over Hinata-sama while I go wake up the sleeping princess?" he asked with a sly smirk.

Neji nodded and Naruto gave him a rigid salute which made Tora chuckle as he walked off towards Hanabi's room with a wave. Naruto and Neji turned to Hinata. "Alright Hinata-sama, we have a little free time before your morning training begins, so would you like to go to the gardens again today?" Neji asked in a all business tone. Hinata nodded to her cousin in response. "Y-yes Neji-niisan. I would like t-that very much." she stuttered with a shy smile. Neji nodded and turned to leave with Hinata. Naruto smiled at her and nodded his head towards the gardens and the Hyuuga Heiress quickly fell in step with the blond while Neji took the lead.

"H-How was your morning Naruto-kun?" she asked the blond next to her, who responded with a large smile and a thumbs up before waving his hand to her to ask how hers was. "M-mine was g-good." she said with a shy smile. Over the last few months both of the children learnt the hard way that even if Hiashi didn't mind if Naruto spoke to Hinata, or anyone in general, the Elders wouldn't let him go without punishment if they caught him. The first day he was with Hinata while on the job Elder Shima caught him holding a conversation about the color of the new tulips and Naruto was treated to a quick session of blinding pain from his seal while Hinata was verbally assaulted by the Elder for holding conversation with a 'filthy demon spawn'.

Ever since then the two decided to hold all of their verbal conversations at their secret meetings in the gardens at night and Naruto would speak with hand movements and facial expressions when in public.

The three made their way into the gardens and were greeted by Michiko and Mira. Naruto gave them a polite wave while Hinata bowed her head to them slightly. Neji ignored them as he walked over the central tree and sat on one of the benches that were put around it while Naruto and Hinata helped water and take care of the flowers in the garden and talked to Mira and Michiko for a while.

After a few minutes the group heard a slight squeal which caused Naruto to bolt to his feet and turn towards the source. He smiled at the little girl who was being carried by Tora. The little girl had shoulder length brown hair and large pale eyes, and was currently sporting a large smile as she was reaching towards Naruto. "Naru! Naru!" she cheered and Tora chuckled and let her down so she could waddle her way over to him.

"Alright Hanabi go on over." he chuckled as the little girl took off towards the blond.

Naruto smiled at the little Hyuuga and picked her up and held her above his head, earning a happy squeal from the girl. Hinata giggled at the blond and how her little sister laughed. She hadn't seen Hanabi laugh this much until she met Naruto. The little toddler was instantly taken with the blond boy and would always smile around him.

"Naru! Spin! Spin!" she begged with her arms in the air. Naruto laughed and picked her up again from under her arms and spun around with her in the air. She squealed in delight as he spun her around several times. Naruto sat her back down as Tora came over to the small group.

"Alright everyone, it's time for Hinata-sama to start her morning training, so come along." he said to the children earning a nod from the group as Naruto placed Hanabi on top of his shoulders, to the toddler's delight, and quickly followed after her sister and cousin so they could get to the training session.

. . . .

"Ha!" Hinata exclaimed as she thrust an open palm towards her instructor. The instructor easily brought down his left hand and struck her wrist with his index and middle finger, sending her strike off to his right and causing Hinata to lose her balance. While she was off balance the instructor brought his right hand up and gave a sharp strike with his index and middle finger to her forehead, causing her to lose her footing and fall back onto the ground.

Naruto winced as he watched her take the hit, knowing that it had to hurt to have someone poke you hard enough in the head to knock you over. Around them the Elders and Hiashi watched Hinata practice and they seemed less than impressed with her performance. Elder Hyouka stood up with a scowl on her face and marched over to Hinata's still sitting form.

"Stand up!" she chided to the girl, causing her to rush back up to her feet and look ahead of herself without looking away from her instructor. "Now, do it again!" she ordered and Hinata gave a hesitant nod.

"H-Hai!" she called and charged her instructor with her left palm open with the fingers facing the ground. "Ha!" she exclaimed and thrust her palm forward, rotating her arm in the strike to add more power to the blow. However, like before the instructor easily intercepted her blow and sent her back to the ground.

Hyouka scowled and looked over at Naruto. "You, _boy_ , come here!" she instructed and Naruto instantly rushed to his feet and stood before the Elder. Naruto tensed his muscles because if he guessed right, he was about to feel some pain.

Hyouka pulled her palm back and lowered her stance. "Observe!" she said to the Hyuuga Heiress. She channeled some chakra into her palm and gave a quick thrust towards Naruto's midsection. When the blow connected Naruto instantly felt the wind get knocked out of him as he was lifted off his feet and sent sliding across the dojo's wooden floor.

Hyouka gave a sadistic smirk before turning back to Hinata. "Now, do not waste your time with the added movement in turning you arm for extra strength. You are a Hyuuga! We fight with the Jyuuken style and only require the slightest touch to render our opponents defeated. Just channel chakra into your hands and deliver quick and accurate blows." she instructed before turning back to Naruto's now coughing form as he tried to collect himself from the ground.

Hinata could only nod as she looked at Naruto in horror, slight tears pricking her eyes. She hated when the Elder instructors used Naruto as an example or test dummy to show Hinata the proper way to use a technique. She wanted to protest, but every time she did so in the past it only turned out worse for Naruto.

The blond in question finally stood back up, a small trail of blood running out of his mouth and down his chin. He was still breathing hard, but bowed to Elder Hyouka and returned to his seat on the sidelines next to Neji. Neji scowled at the Elder but held his tongue. He might not of liked Naruto, but he knew cruelty when he saw it. They treated him little better than an animal half the time and the other half he was merely a training dummy for them. And what angered him the most was that Hiashi did nothing to stop them. The Clan Head just watched with an emotionless expression like always.

Naruto finally got his breathing under control and wiped the blood from his face and looked on with a stoic expression. He had learned to keep his emotions in check while around the Elders. He let his mind wander and opened a connection with Kurama. " _Hey Kurama, why does this hurt more than usual?"_ he asked as he winced slightly in pain as he sat watching Hinata try, and fail, to land a blow on the instructor.

Kurama growled lightly before answering. " _ **The bitch added chakra into the strike and hit your liver. I'm fixing the damage right now, but it'll hurt for a couple of minutes or so…"**_ he said to the boy as he channeled chakra through Naruto's system to fix his damaged liver. ' _ **Honestly...if I wasn't fixing the brat, then they would have killed him already with the amount of abuse he gets...not to mention that damn seal. I still can't get my chakra close to it without having it react…'**_ the fox thought as he focused on healing the boy.

Tora looked at Naruto with worry as Hanabi napped in his lap. He secretly activated his Byakugan to see what kind of damage Hyouka caused and nearly gasped in surprise. Red tendrils of chakra were snaking through the boy's body and were being used to heal a damaged liver. He lightly shook his head in wonder as he deactivated his Byakugan. And then a thought came to him. He looked over at Hiashi. "Excuse me, Hiashi-sama. My I ask you a question?" he asked his Clan Head who gave him a nod to continue.

"Neji-kun is beginning his training at the Academy in two months, correct?" he asked of his leader. Hiashi again nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "Well, Hiashi-sama. Who will guard over Hinata-sama when she goes to the Academy next year?" he asked Hiashi, whose eyes widened as he connected the dots.

He nodded and stocked his chin in thought. "Yes, that is a good question Tora-san...who do you suggest?" he asked his daughters elderly bodyguard. Tora thought for a brief moment before a smile came to his face.

"Why not send Naruto-kun to the Academy with her?" he said.

Elder Shima and Hyouka looked at him like he was crazy and Naruto's eyes widened at the old man. "Absolutely not!" Shima cried out with a scowl. Tora raised his hands in a passive, yet defensive manner.

"Now, now. Naruto-kun is already one of Hinata-sama's personal bodyguards, so why not let him learn and grow more so that he can do his job better?" he reasoned with the group of Elders.

Hiashi nodded in agreement.

"I agree with this Tora-san. We'll send Naruto along with Hinata when she goes to the Academy. Besides, it would be such a waste to keep his talent for the Shinobi arts from flourishing." he said with a tone of finality in his voice. Shima and Hyouka looked at him like he had gone insane, but Kouen had a different idea.

"Alright Hiashi-sama." Kouen said before a smirk came to his face. "But, if we are to send Naruto to the Academy with Hinata-sama, then he will need to be trained...as to not make the Hyuuga lose face of course." he said with a sly smile. "In fact," he continued. "Why don't we start now? Hinata-sama, why don't you take a break so we can test Naruto's potential." he instructed Hinata with a false smile.

Hinata tentatively nodded and looked at Naruto with worry, but saw a glint in his eyes that confused her. She went over and sat next to her father as Kouen stood next to the instructor. He leaned in close to him and whispered in his ear. "Don't hold back on the demon brat, you got that?" he ordered in a hushed voice. The instructor nodded before turning towards Naruto.

Naruto got up from his sitting position, luckily for him, Kurama had just finished healing him and he was battle ready.

The instructor took up the Jyuuken stance and nodded to Naruto. "Come at me with everything you have Naruto-san. I will evaluate you according to what you can do to me." he told the boy, making him nod.

Naruto took a deep breath, calming his nerves and entered his own Taijutsu stance. He brought his hands up in front of him, his left further forward than his right, and were slightly curled and ready to react. He slid his left leg in front of him with a slight bend in his right, leaning his weight evenly on both legs. " _ **Kit,"**_ Kurama said to the boy as he readied himself.

" _Yeah?"_ Naruto responded.

" _ **Watch yourself. I sense nothing but ill intentions from him and the Kouen bastard."**_ he warned. Naruto mentally nodded to the fox as his eyes hardened and locked onto the instructor.

Kouen stood and looked to the both of them.

"Hajime!" he called and Naruto blurred forward with a burst of speed, quickly jumping up and bringing his left leg up for an arching high kick to the man's temple. He quickly bent backwards to dodge the kick and as soon as it passed he pulled a palm back and thrust it at the descending boy.

Naruto landed in a handstand and channeled chakra into his hands to help his balance, before using his right leg to deflect the palm thrust from the instructor. He then used his left leg to swing him away from the man and regained his footing just before the man closed the gap between the two.

The man brought his right hand up and made a series of quick jabs towards the boy, who countered by maneuvering his body around the strikes, waiting for his opponents movements to slow before bringing up his left knee and slamming his left elbow onto the man's wrist, catching it between both his elbow and knee.

The instructor was surprised by the boy's strength as he felt a slight pop in his wrist on impact and quickly brought his other hand up and struck the boy's shoulder, releasing him from his grip. Naruto and the instructor stumbled backwards, the instructor holding his right wrist and Naruto holding his left shoulder.

The man looked at his slightly shaking hand and cursed. Using his Byakugan he confirmed that it was indeed fractured from the boys crushing grab. He then looked at what kind of damage he did to the boy and nearly gasped. He could have sworn he closed the Tenketsu point in his shoulder, rendering his arm useless. But, with a quick burst of red chakra through his system the point was opened and the boy was ready to continue.

" _What the hell is this kid!? I'm a Chunin dammit!"_ the instructor mentally cursed as he readied to charge the boy again. Naruto still had his determined look in his eye and was panting slightly.

" _Crap that hurt!"_ he mentally whined as he retook his stance. Kurama snorted at the whining blond.

" _ **Suck it up brat. You're fighting, of course it's gonna hurt when you get hit! Now, here he comes again. Go with combo number four!"**_ Kurama coached the boy receiving a nod from the boy as he dodged the first strike from the man and dropped into a leg sweep. The man jumped over the boy and landed behind him. But as soon as he landed he felt a heavy kick connect with his thigh, causing his leg to buckle under him. He looked back and saw Naruto retracting his leg from a horse kick and readying for another kick. As soon as Naruto's leg was back from the first kick he lashed out with a second, straight towards the man's head.

The instructor rolled out of the way, still trying to gain his strength in his leg back from the heavy kick.

The Elders were watching in shock as the small child held his own against the Chunin. How in the world was this...this BOY fighting like this? It made no sense!

Hinata was watching in admiration as Naruto fought with her instructor. She knew that the Elders were trying to do something cruel again, but Naruto was completely handling himself against the man who trumped her in every aspect. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she watched the blond fight in awe. "Wow…" she breathed to herself.

Hiashi was also shocked, but not as much as everyone else. He had often observed Naruto while the boy worked in his shack, going through workouts and practicing Taijutsu Katas. But he didn't expect the boy to perform so well in actual combat against someone with more experience.

Honestly, whatever Inu was teaching the boy, it was obviously working.

Naruto ducked under another palm strike and bent back onto his hands and performed a backwards cartwheel kick to the man's jaw, snapping his head back and staggering him for a second. Naruto regained his footing and dashed forward with his hands balled up into fists and his sides.

The man looked down in time to dodge the first punch to his face, but didn't notice the blow to his stomach from the boy's second fist. Naruto had performed a double strike with both fists, using his first strike as a distraction for the body shot.

No matter who you are, if there is a fist heading for your face, you'll hardly notice anything else.

The man coughed and jumped back to gain distance from the boy so he could control his breathing. After coughing a few more times he glared at the boy, finally activating his Byakugan to fight with. "You little brat…" he growled to himself before charging in at the boy. He brought up his left hand and stuck with it, causing Naruto to duck away, but that was a mere faint as his right hand shot out and struck the boy's chest with a Jyuuken strike.

"Gah!" Naruto coughed in pain as he felt a sharp pain in the right side of his chest and staggered back. The instructor however, used this opening and continued his assault. He lashed out at the boy with fast, piercing blows and chakra enhanced hands. Naruto tried his best to dodge as many as possible, only using his knees and elbows to deflect the attacks, never taking them head on. But, the man's bigger size and sheer force started to overwhelm the boy, causing him to take more damage than he wanted.

After bring up his elbow to knock a strike to his chest off course, he missed the man's other hand heading to his throat. "Grawk!" Naruto coughed again in pain, but this time it was a choking cough as blood shot out from his mouth and he doubled over, holding his throat while coughing up more blood.

The man was about to strike Naruto's defenseless form before he was knocked away by Hiashi and Tora as they rushed to check on the boy. Hinata gasped and ran towards her friend. "Naruto-kun!" she yelled in worry.

Hiashi checked the choking boy over with his Byakugan and growled. "Get us a medic now!" he roared and several of the Branch Member servants that were in attendance rushed out in search of a medical nin.

Naruto continued to choke until he lost consciousness.

. . . .

Kurama growled loudly inside Naruto's mindscape, frustration quickly taking over his usual mood of apathy with a side anger. Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at the fox. "What happened!?" he asked as he remembered that he had taken a Jyuuken strike to the throat. Kurama was sitting in a meditative position and concentrating hard.

" **That damn meat sack bastard! He hit a Tenketsu in your throat, but he over charged the strike and ripped your vocal cords and esophagus up as well."** Kurama roared in annoyance. " **I can heal your throat and unlock the Tenketsu, but vocal cords are too complicated to reconstruct and these damn medics are disrupting my healing!"**

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "W-What d-does that mean?" he asked, fear practically dripping in his voice. Kurama growled yet again before he responded.

" **Well, it sure as hell will make talking a difficult task…"**

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued…**

 **Bulba Fett: Aaayyyy, sup? Another chapter out of the way, and another chapter closer to new content! Now, I know from the Original story I never explained what happened to Hiroki, since from here on she just kinda isn't in the story anymore...well...I plan on explaining that in the next chapter. So, stay tuned I guess?**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

. . . .

Chapter 8: Roots That Make The Tree Strong

. . . .

 _Kurama growled loudly inside Naruto's mindscape. Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at the fox. "What happened!?" he asked as he remembered that he had taken a Jyuuken strike to the throat. Kurama was sitting in a meditative position and concentrating hard._

" _ **That damn meat sack bastard! He hit a Tenketsu in your throat, but he over charged the strike and ripped your vocal cords and esophagus up as well."**_ _Kurama roared in annoyance._ " _ **I can heal your throat and unlock the Tenketsu, but vocal cords are incredibly complicated to reconstruct in normal circumstances, and these damn medics are disrupting my healing!"**_

 _Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "W-What d-does that me-mean for me?" he asked in fear. Kurama growled yet again before he responded._

" _ **Well, it sure as hell will make talking at least a difficult task…"**_

. . . .

Naruto stared at the fox as concentrated on healing the boy. The blonds left eye began to twitch as he looked at the fox. Once. Twice. Thrice, and he finally snapped. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN TALKING WILL BE DIFFICULT!?" he roared out as his hands ran through his hair as he tried to wrap his head around what was going on.

A tick mark appeared on Kurama's forehead as he snarled at the boy. " **Oi! Watch your language, you insolent brat! And quiet down, I'm trying to figure out a way to get around those damn medics so I can work!"** he snapped at the blond. Naruto just looked at the fox and took a few calming breaths before he grumbled at the fox.

"Don't tell me what to do...you're not my dad...Baka Kitsune…" he said as he looked away from the demon and crossed his arms.

Kurama nearly fell over from shock when Naruto compared his attitude to being fatherly. " _ **The hell is that brat on about? I'm not...fatherly. I'm not...am I?"**_ he started to think before he shook his head and went back to what he was doing. " _ **Damn humans caused me to start over thinking shit...Okay...now, just gotta connect these two pieces of worthless human flesh annndddd...DAMMIT! Fuckin' medic bastard went and cut it again while trying to get my chakra away from it…"**_ he mentally snarled as he fought furiously with the medics, trying to heal the boy. " _ **Dammit! Back off and let me heal my Kit-"**_ he started to think before all of his mental processes stopped. " _ **Did I just...no...he's just some human. Just like the rest of them...but...NO! STOP IT!..."**_ he began to have a mental war with himself as he finally lost the tenuous hold he had on his healing abilities.

Naruto stared at the fox in confusion as the beings face contorted and twitched, as if he was thinking of something and fighting with himself about it. He just shrugged and went back to worrying about how his voice might be affected after all of this madness.

After about an hour, Naruto started to get bored. So, to alleviate his boredom, he summoned a few clones and started playing tag with them in the mindscape. Kurama opened his eyes from his internal battle and looked at the boy playing with his clones and felt a pang of...something... go through him. He shook his head and went back to trying to heal the kid. " _ **This cannot be happening...just focus on the task at hand Kurama...just...focus…Just Do It."**_

Soon, Kurama opened his eyes again and immediately noticed Naruto sitting in a circle and playing cards with three of his clones, causing the beast to sigh softly. " **Oi, brat."** he said to get the boy's attention. All of the Naruto's turned to the fox with raised eyebrows, save for one who was trying to take a peek at the cards in the originals hands. Kurama rubbed the bridge of his muzzle and sighed.

" **Get some actual rest. You're going to need it for when you wake up. Your throat is healed, but you voice is gonna take a while to come back. It won't be gone forever, it'll just hurt to talk for a long time, or at least till you find someone better at healing than me."** he told the boy, causing him to gulp in concern.  
Naruto nodded to the fox and dispelled his clones, causing him to perk up and scowl. "Cheater…" he grumbled when he found out one of his clones was trying to cheat. He stood up and start to fade out of the mindscape.

" **Oh, and Kit."** Kurama said a little shyly. Naruto's eyes widened as he turned to the fox. " **You fought well out there… I wasn't disappointed."** he heard him say before he slipped out of the mindscape and fell into unconsciousness.

. . . .

"So, has the one who did this to him been punished?" Hiruzen asked in an angered tone to Hiashi as they stood in Naruto's room at the hospital. The boy had been unconscious for nearly eight hours and was nowhere near waking up yet.

Hiashi nodded, never taking his eyes off the boy. "I killed him personally when the Medics took the boy with them. He was intentionally trying to injure him, so, I did what needed to be done." he explained to the Hokage, gaining a nod from him.

"Good, because if you didn't do it, that man would have been found dead by the morning...probably from some unforeseeable and unfortunate accident, maybe from unprovoked seppuku…" he said with a knowing look to the Clan Head.

Hiashi took a shuddering breath, suddenly very aware of his constant fear induced by simply the thought of invoking the elderly man's wrath. He was very aware that the only reason he was not already dead, was because Hiruzen didn't wish for his daughters to grow up with neither a father, nor mother. He knew the old man was almost to the point of forgoing his sympathy to protect his surrogate grandson, and with what happened today, it was likely that little was going to help him stave off his wrath.

Hiruzen took a calculative glance to the clan head and turned back to Naruto. "It seems that we are both men without control...Hiashi…" he muttered in a voice just loud enough for Hiashi to hear. The clan head froze on the spot from the man's words. He took a moment before he nodded as well.

"It seems so, Hokage-sama. But...we should hold onto our will and let the new flowers continue to grow and bloom. Keep all these rotting plants and weeds as issues for just us older plants." he said to the Hokage, gaining a raised eyebrow from the man.

Hiruzen took a moment before he responded. "So you plan to weed your gardens soon?" he asked the clan head. Hiashi sighed and shook his head.

"I have some stubborn weeds that have been encroaching, and trying taking over the gardens...but I'll be able to trim them down in time. How is that Great Tree of yours, Hokage-sama?" he asked in a hushed tone. Hiruzen chuckled dryly and shook his head.

"The leaves are beginning to flourish again, but the roots are proving to be a re-emerging problem. I think they might be the source of your garden's problems Hiashi-dono."

Hiashi sighed and turned to leave. "I need to check on my daughters, Hokage-sama. I hope the roots of this tree do not reach to far, because I fear they might need to be uprooted soon." he said as he left the room. Hiashi went quickly through the hospital and towards his compound. His thoughts running on overtime working through what the Hokage had told him. "So...Danzo thinks he can strong arm me into giving him control...I'd like to see him try…" he growled as an angry scowl crossed his face.

. . . .

Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh as he fell into the chair next to Naruto's hospital bed. He had his ANBU guard blocking the door and placed several privacy seals up to block out any curious Hyuuga's. Hiruzen had to chuckle at the fact he was using his successors seals to talk to his legacy. Whenever a Hyuuga tries to look through those seals, a bright flash of chakra would blind them, meaning that Sarutobi and Naruto were officially able to talk privately without worry.

He looked down to the sleeping boy as Naruto began to stir and awaken. A warm smile spread across Hiruzen's face as he watched his surrogate grandson wipe the sleep from his eyes with the back of his wrists.

Naruto yawned and looked over to Hiruzen and froze. He trembled a few times before launching himself at the old man in a tight hug. Tears ran down his face as he buried himself into man like it would be the last time he would see him. At first Hiruzen was shocked by the boy's action, but he quickly replied with a hug of his own and stroked the boy's hair as he slowly began to calm down.

They stayed like that for a long while until Naruto calmed down. The blond released the old man and looked up at him and tried to speak, but stopped when Hiruzen lifted his hand and shook his head.

"Your throat is still recovering, don't try to talk yet." he told the boy, getting a nod from him. Hiruzen sighed and looked at the boy in the eye. "Ok Naruto-kun. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you just nod or shake your head to answer, okay?" he said to the boy, getting another nod from him.

"Alright. First off, do they hurt you Naruto-kun?" he asked with a serious expression. Naruto's eyes widened and, after a long moment, hesitantly nodded. Hiruzen had to suppress a growl before continuing. "Is it with the seal?" again a nod. "Do they beat you?" Naruto shook his head 'no'. Even though they hit him during Hinata's training, he didn't really count that as abuse. More like poor training examples. Hiruzen sighed. At least they weren't beating him physically.

"Do you have any friends?" he asked, gaining another nod from the boy and a slight smile. Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow at the boy before he smirked. "Is it with young Hinata?" he asked the boy, getting a slight blush from him and a nod. Hiruzen chuckled slightly before he got serious again. "Have you been hearing any voices in your head?" he asked the boy. Naruto's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the strange question, before he regained an emotionless expression.

Hiruzen became worried when he didn't answer after a very long moment. "Naruto. I need you to tell me if you've been hearing anything. Any weird voices, anything trying to get you to do something for it?" he asked again, leaning a little forward.

This time Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly at the man, causing Hiruzen to back off slightly. What was going on with the boy. It almost seemed like the more he asked about the Kyuubi, the more defensive Naruto became. It was blatantly obvious by now to the Hokage that Naruto had in fact been hearing voices, otherwise he would have answered no immediately. But he didn't know what the Kyuubi was trying to do with him, and why Naruto was getting so defensive.

Naruto watched his grandfather figure, with a cautious gaze. He didn't really like the fact that Hiruzen never told him about Kurama, and he wasn't liking the line of questions he was pursuing.

" _ **Don't tell him anything, Kit. It will only make matters worse."**_ Kurama advised. Naruto nodded mentally to the fox.

" _I already figured that. If he knew we were talking he'd try to stop it. I'm not going to let that happen."_ he thought to the fox.

Hiruzen was now worried. "Naruto-kun, tell me. I need you to tell me right now. Is it the voice telling you to not tell me? Don't trust that voice Naruto! You need to tell me!" he asked now in a tone which was rapidly approaching hysteria, placing his hands on Naruto's shoulders. Naruto looked at him for a second before speaking.

"Kurama...is...not...bad...guy...bad guy...is...Kouen…" he choked out and started to cough slightly, a small trail of blood leaking out from the corner his mouth. Naruto quickly wiped the blood away with his hand, and looked the old man in the eye, a defiant gaze, challenging him to ask more questions.

Hiruzen was now shocked even further, if that were possibly, by Naruto's actions. He sighed deeply before moving on. "Fine. But Naruto-kun, I warn you to not trust this...Kurama character. He will do nothing but deceive you. Now, is your training with Inu going well?" he asked, gaining a nod from Naruto. "Are they letting you go to the Academy?" another nod. Hiruzen sighed and leaned back into his chair. At least they were going to let him be a shinobi. It must have been Hiashi's doing, as the Elders would never let him out of their sight. This would help Naruto by letting him escape their clutches and watchful gazes for a precious few hours per day, while he worked through his duties to the village. Hiruzen stood up and turned to leave. "I must go Naruto-kun. Inu will be by later tonight to talk with you, and I cannot stress this enough. Do. Not. Trust. The voice, Naruto….goodbye." he said as he left the hospital room, a terrible feeling in his gut. He wouldn't let that demon corrupt his grandson like this. He needed to find a way to silence the fox. But for now, he had a job to do which involved uprooting a particularly troublesome and stubborn plant from his Great Tree.

. . . .

Naruto sat in his room looking out the window of the hospital. Hiruzen had left about an hour ago, and Naruto didn't like telling him off like that after so long. But, he also wasn't going to let him take away one of his very few friends. It had dawned on him, that without Kurama their to look out for him, he would more than likely be dead several times over by now.

He heard a knock at his door and turned to see Hiashi return with Tora, Neji, Hinata and Hanabi. The infant Hyuuga held out her hands towards Naruto and smiled brightly. "Naru! Naru!" she cheered as Tora let her down on Naruto's bed letting the little girl cling onto him in a bear hug.

Naruto smiled at Hiashi's youngest daughter and hugged her back. Hinata walked up to Naruto's side, tears staining her cheeks. "I-I'm so sorry Naruto-kun...I-If I was-wasn't so weak then...then you w-wouldn't be hurt…" she said between light sobs. Naruto smiled warmly at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"No...worry Hinata-chan...not...your...fault…" he said to her, as he fought back a coughing fit. Hanabi looked at her sister and crawled on the bed to her and hugged her while looking in her eyes.

"Not fault!" she echoed what Naruto said to her, worried for her crying sister. Hinata smiled at her sister and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"T-Thank you…"

Hiashi looked at the group with a ghost of a smile on his face while Tora smiled openly. Neji was sitting on one of the chairs at the end of the room, but he couldn't help the slight smirk that graced his features.

Tora walked up to the group and placed his hand on Naruto's head. "It's good to see you up Naruto-kun. The doctor said you'll be able to go home tomorrow, so we just thought we'd come up and see how you're doing." he said to the boy while he ruffled his hair. Naruto smiled widely at the man.

"Thank...you…" he said softly, trying to not agitate his throat.

Hiashi stepped forwards and gave Naruto a stern look. "Sorry Naruto, but please refrain from speaking too much. We need your throat to heal, and any unneeded speaking will just make the process harder on yourself." he instructed to boy, gaining a nod. Hiashi nodded as well before a slight smirk appeared on his face. "But I have to say, Naruto. Your fight against that instructor was quite eye opening. I didn't think you would be this strong, at this young age. I guess it just goes to show that you really should be Hinata's personal bodyguard." he complemented the blond. Naruto smiled and bowed his head to the clan head in respect.

Tora and Neji left a few minutes later, but Hiashi and his daughters stayed for a while longer so Hanabi could play with Naruto. But once everyone made their exits, Naruto settled back into his bed and looked out the window to see the rapidly darkening sky.

" _ **Kit, come to the mindscape. I have something for you to learn for performing so well against that man."**_ Kurama told the blond, getting him to instantly close his eyes and warp his way into the mindscape.

. . . .

It was late that night when a lone figure opened the window to Naruto's hospital room. The figure entered without a sound and closed the window behind him.

The figure stood next to Naruto and looked down at him before reaching into his utility pouch and producing a brush and a jar of ink. He carefully dabbed the brush head into the ink and made to apply it to Naruto's skin.

Since Naruto was sleeping on his stomach, the figure carefully applied the ink to the back of Naruto's neck, one soft stroke at a time, before a small seal was formed. The figure held its hands together in the tiger seal and muttered something under its breath. "...fuin…" he said as the seal started to glow a faint blue. The figure sighed slightly as he began again.

But as soon as the brush touched the boy's skin, he jerked awake and spun around to face the figure.

Naruto had been training in his mindscape when Kurama felt something was off. After a small investigation, he felt a small burst of foreign chakra run through Naruto's system that forced the boy out of the mindscape.

Naruto looked at the figure in front of him with a hard glare as his eyes flashed red and the seal on the back of his neck faded away, destroyed by Kurama's chakra.

The figure tsked at the boy before reaching for his weapons pouch. Naruto shot forward with his fist cocked back to punch the figure in the face, but the figure jumped back at the last second, dodging the attack and jumped through the window. Naruto snarled lightly and made chase after the assailant.

" _ **Alright Kit, I took care of that pitiful seal he was trying to place on you. It was a silencing seal, and my guess the second seal he was going to place was a control seal. I don't know how strong this guy is going to be, so be ready to use me as a beacon."**_ Kurama instructed as Naruto nodded and followed after the man.

The man in question wore a dark cloak and a blank Anbu's mask. The man turned towards Naruto and threw three senbon towards the boy, hoping to stall him. But his diversion tactic fell flat as Naruto used Kawarimi with a nearby chair and continued to follow after the man.

Naruto's assailant sighed and stopped his fleeing to turn on Naruto. "If I can't do this the easy way, I'll just take you with me!" he said as he dashed at the boy. Naruto's eyes widened as he was surprised with the man's speed, making him unable to dodge the man's knee to his gut.

Naruto was sent sliding across the ground, until he vaulted himself to his feet and regained his balance.

Kurama cursed in Naruto's mind as he felt the chakra the man was giving off. " _ **Not good. He's way out of your league here. Use my chakra to-"**_ Kurama started to say until a voice from behind Naruto cut the fox off.

"Well Naruto-kun. Aren't you supposed to still be in the hospital?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said as he and Kakashi landed behind Naruto. The blond's eyes widened as he looked at his surrogate grandfather and ANBU guardian. Kakashi looked at Naruto and smiled from behind his mask.

"Hey Naruto, I was just on my way to see you. But it seems, that someone beat me here." he said with a dangerously sweet tone. Hiruzen chuckled and nodded before leveling a glare at the masked man.

"As the Hokage of Konohagakure, I order you to state your name and reasoning for attacking a citizen of the village." he said in a darkly authoritative tone. The Hokage let out a sliver of his vast amount of Killing Intent towards the man as his glare intensified.

The man backed up a few steps, thinking about making a run for it, but he was stopped by another voice. "Running is not an option here. Give up now." said ANBU Karasu as he and Neko appeared behind the man.

The man looked between the four of them and seemed to weigh his options before getting out of his defensive stance. But before he could bring up his arms to form any seals for the self destruction jutsu, Karasu appeared in front of him with a faint red glow in the eye holes of his mask. The masked man instantly fell backwards in a deep sleep.

Naruto looked to Hiruzen with a confused look on his face, causing the elderly man to chuckle and walk up to the boy. "Naruto, this is ANBU Karasu, and ANBU Neko. They are going to help look after you while Inu is away. And speaking of which, I believe it best if Karasu took you back to your room so we can get to the bottom of what happened here." he said as he looked to Karasu. The Anbu bowed to his Hokage and looked to Naruto and held out his hand.

"Alright little one, let's head back to the hospital." he said in a kind tone. He may have been nice about it, but the 'little' comment caused Naruto's temper to spike. The boy's eye began to twitch as he ground his teeth together. Instead of taking the Anbu's hand he just dashed back to the hospital on his own, leaving a confused Karasu behind.

"W-was it something I said?" he said to himself as he followed after the blond.

. . . .

Hiruzen looked at the unconscious man in front of him. The man had long burnt orange hair and wore the Konoha headband across his forehead. Under his closed eyelids he had piercing yellow eyes. But the thing that had Hiruzen worried was that he knew the man.

He was Yamanaka Fuu, and the last time he had seen him, he was eight years old. He had then gone missing barely over a year later, when he was nine, and here he was, one of Danzo's pawns.

Hiruzen cursed as he noticed the seals on the man's tongue and shook his head. There was no way to get any information out of him like this, so they would need to go about this a different way.

Hiruzen looked to Kakashi before giving his orders. "Go and get me Yamanaka Inoichi. We need to erase his memories from what just happened and replace them with new ones." he ordered his Anbu Captain. Kakashi nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

A few minutes later Kakashi returned with the a blond haired man with dull blue eyes who was looking at Fuu in shock. "No way...little Fuu...is that you?" he breathed as he looked at the ROOT agent. Hiruzen sighed and nodded his head.

"Unfortunately yes, I believe it is. But we need to hurry and get this over with. The seals on his tongue will block us from any memories more than hour ago so we need to do this quickly." he told the Yamanaka clan head. Inoichi nodded sadly and placed a hand on Fuu's head.

Fifteen minutes went by before Inoichi took his hand off of Fuu and sighed. "There, I finished rewriting his memories. Now he believes he succeeded in his mission and is on his way to report back to Danzo." he said to the Hokage.

Hiruzen nodded and turned to leave. "We should go before he wakes up. We need to ensure we are unseen while we follow him." he said before he disappeared in a blur of speed. Inoichi turned to Kakashi and shook his head.

"This is where I depart. I have no place in this right now. I'll be returning home now. I'll see you around Inu-san, Neko-san." he said, before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The two Anbu followed after their Hokage and waited with him from a safe distance and watched as Fuu woke from his Genjutsu induced sleep. Fuu shook his head and looked around before dashing off. Hiruzen smirked as they followed after Fuu out of the village.

After they were a few miles out of the village, Fuu stopped next to a large tree and performed three handsigns, dispelling a Genjutsu that revealed a trap door at the base of the tree.

Hiruzen turned to Neko as Fuu entered the trap door. "Go alert Tokage, Ari, Kuma, Fukuro, Taka, Saru, and Ondiri and bring them here. If they ask why, tell them it is time to purge the Great Tree of the rotten supports it has sat on for many years. It is time we finally put an end to Danzo's schemes once and for all."

. . . .

Naruto sat on his bed, staring at Karasu with a slight scowl. Karasu was a little disturbed by the boy's stare and, despite his Anbu training, began to fidget and look around nervously. After a few more minutes he finally broke and sighed. "What is it?" he asked the boy.

Naruto raised a single eyebrow before responding. "Why….in….same room...watching...sleep?" he asked in his broken, pained speech, his face clearly showing the pain he felt with every syllable. Karasu flinched slightly as he heard the boy's pained form of speech before he understood what he was trying to say.

"Oh, you can't sleep with me watching you like this, can you?" he said more like a statement than a question before he got up from his spot and walked over to the now broken window. "I'll just be right outside, then." he said before he jumped out of the room.

Naruto shook his head and laid down on the bed. " _Man, even if this is that stupid hospital, it feels good to be in an actual bed for once."_ he thought as he snuggled up to an actual pillow and not a pile of used clothes rolled up into a makeshift one.

" _ **Yeah, lucky you. You get a bed and I get a dank and dark sewer to sleep in."**_ Kurama deadpanned at the boy as he laid down on his front paws. Naruto snickered slightly before a thought came to him.

" _Say, that is my mind right? Why is it a sewer anyway?"_ he asked the fox. Kurama shrugged in the mindscape.

" _ **I don't know, maybe it reflects what your mind is like. But I think perhaps a gutter would be a much better reflection, considering you already have a mate in mind at this age."**_ Kurama joked with the boy, causing the boy to blush hotly and stumble on his words.

" _That's...I'm not...Ugh…"_ he mentally grumbled at the fox, causing him to bust out laughing at the boy's flustered state.

Kurama's laughter died down after a few minutes as he sighed at the end. " _ **You're coming along well with that new technique brat. It might be a nock off of the real thing, but it is still powerful."**_ the fox complemented the boy, gaining a smile from him as he readied himself for sleep. Naruto yawned one last time before closing his eyes.

" _Good night Kurama…"_ he said as he faded off to sleep. Kurama yawned as well and closed his eyes.

" _ **I'm with ya there Kit. Goodnight…"**_

. . . .

"We are ready, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said to Hiruzen as he and the rest of the gathered Anbu prepared themselves for the battle ahead. Hiruzen sighed deeply and shook his head.

"Just another mission, like with Orochimaru…" he grumbled before he turned to his Anbu strike force.

"Today we venture forth to cleanse a traitor of the village. We may be fighting familiar faces inside, but they have all, whether willingly or not, fallen victim to Danzo's deceiving ways. Do not show these traitors any mercy, for they will surely show you none. Now, it is time to uproot this weed that threatens the budding flowers of our great village. Prepare to strike!" he called out to his strike force, causing them to give determined nods and a chorus of 'Hai Hokage-sama!'

The ten shinobi moved to enter the trap door, and with a silenced explosion, the door was removed from its hinges. The Anbu were the first to enter. Tokage lead Ari and Kuma down a single hallway that lead to the barracks. If one stood and listened close enough, they would hear muffled cries and the sound of metal meeting flesh in the distance.

Kakashi, along with Neko, Taka, Ondiro, and Saru all followed their Hokage to their main target.

Shimura Danzo, the Shinobi no Yami.

They entered a great room that was nothing but a large bridge looming over a seemingly bottomless pit. And at the middle of the bridge, stood their target. Kakashi and Neko landed to the man's left, while Taka and Ondiro landed behind him and Saru to his right.

Danzo looked around at the Anbu and narrowed his lone eye at Hiruzen. "So...it has finally come to this, old friend?" he asked as he slowly raised his cane.

Hiruzen sighed and nodded. "So it seems." he said as he slipped off his Hokage robes and removed his hat. Below his robes he wore his battle gear, consisting of a black bodysuit and mesh armor with a single forearm protector. And upon his head, rested a black and green helmet.

Gone was the elderly grandfather to the village. Here stood the warrior, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Shinobi no Kami, the Professor.

Danzo pulled a hidden blade from his cane and gave Hiruzen a dry smirk. "So, shall we begin?" he said before he dashed forwards with his blade held tight to his side.

"Let's!" Hiruzen called as he and his Anbu strike force charged into battle.

. . . .

Naruto's eyes slowly opened as the sunlight entered his room. He sat up and yawned as he wiped the sleep from his eyes and scratched his side. " _Best night's sleep in months…"_ he thought, as he got up from his bed and stretched. He walked over to the small table in the corner of the room that had his clothes laid out for him. The boy quickly got dressed and went back to sit on his bed. He sighed as he flopped onto his back. " _What shall I do while I wait…"_ he pondered to himself. He sat in boredom for a few minutes letting his mind wander. He thought of all that had happened over the last six months.

From being chased out of his home, being 'adopted', meeting Kurama, finding a sister in Hiroki, losing a brother in Ko, and meeting Hinata. It all seemed so long ago that he lived alone in his apartment, with no one to call a family.

A sad frown found its way to his face as he thought of Hiroki. She...she changed after Ko's death. She rarely spoke to anyone, and barely left her house for anything but to do her duties as a part of the Branch family. Even with Naruto's new job as Hinata's bodyguard, he had seen Hiroki around the compound, and the vacant look in her eyes frightened him to no end.

And...there was also the fact that she stopped visiting his shack all together after the incident.

A knock on the door snapped Naruto out of his depressing thoughts as he looked up to see who it was.

Tora walked in with Neji and smiled at him.

"You ready to return to duty?" he asked the blond. Naruto bolted out of and off of the bed and nodded to the elderly man. Tora chuckled and began to leave with Neji. "Well, then come on. We need to go protect our princess."

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued…**

 **Bulba Fett: Yo, sorry about no update yesterday, but...I was tired okay? Been trying to get my 1.5 mile run time down to 12.5 minutes for like the past week and have been running every day. As per the requirements for the Coast Guard, I need to be able to run a mile and a half under 12.5 minutes. But good news is that from monday, I was able to drop the time to 13:36 instead of 14:52 :D**

 **More on Hiroki in future chapters, so patience plz. And I will also explain what happened to Danzo in a later chapter since I had yet to do so in the original story.**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 9: Academy Woes

. . . .

" _You ready to return to duty?" he asked the blond. Naruto bolted out of and off of the bed and nodded to the elderly man. Tora chuckled and began to leave with Neji. "Well, then come on. We need to go protect our princess."_

. . . .

It was a relatively quiet morning at the Academy when Iruka arrived. The Chuunin instructor of the Academy was a tan skinned young man with long brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail, but his most pronounced feature had to be the large scar running across the bridge of his nose.

He looked up at the large building and sighed with a small smile. Summer was coming to a close and today just so happened to be the first day of class for the new generation. He had looked through the roster for the class he would be instructing for the next four years, and frankly, he had been surprised by the sheer number of Clan Heirs and Clan members that were in the group.

He was slightly nervous about having five Clan Heirs among the members of his class, due to him never really dealing with clan royalty before, but he couldn't let them get into his head before even meeting them. They might be royalty, but they were still just children.

He also had one major concern to his class that he noticed. That concern would be a blond haired, blue eyed boy with strange whisker like birthmarks lining his cheeks. One Uzumaki Naruto, or rather, Hyuuga Naruto.

When he had seen the boy's name on the roster he had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He had thought the Hyuuga had finally solved the villages problem with the demon. But to his surprise, the brat was in his class. Great. Just great. Might as well act professional about it. He, like most of the Shinobi in the village, knew exactly how close the boy was to the Hokage. So, to not displease his commanding officer, he would treat all of his students the same and not let his prejudices control him from his duty.

And speaking of his duty, as soon as he opened the gate to the Academy he could hear three of his students approaching the building. He turned to see just who were coming so early and nearly gasped aloud.

There walking to the main gate of the Academy were two boys escorting a young girl. The boy on her left was the tallest of the three and had long brown hair that reached to the small of his back. He wore a light grey top and brown pants along with a binding over his forehead. His view was set straight ahead and was answering the girls questions with quick and precise answers.

The girl wore a bulky eskimo jacket that seemed to be four sizes too big for her and she had the strangest indigo hair, cut short with two banges framing her face. She and the boy both had the white eyes of the Hyuuga clan, save for the slight lavender tint to the girls Byakugan eyes.

But the boy to her right, whom she had a strong grip on his sleeve, was anything but a Hyuuga. The boy had wild, blond hair that seemed to spike and fight against gravity. His eyes were a startling blue that seemed to almost glow with a warmth that could call for people to gaze at them for hours. Along with his sun kissed skin, the strangest of his features were the three whisker like birthmarks that lined both of his cheeks. He wore a simple white shirt which had sleeves that seemed too long and flared out around the boy's hands. He also wore a simple pair of brown trousers and black shinobi sandals. But when Iruka took a closer look, he could see the startling details about the boy.

His glowing cerulean blue eyes seemed to be sunken slightly, with hints of bags underneath them. He seemed slimmer than his body should have been, almost malnourished. And his clothes looked like they had been torn and mended several times over.

The only thing that Iruka could think of was, why was this homeless looking child escorting the 'princess of Konohagakure'? And then he knew just who the boy was. This child was the object of his nightmares, his fears that had terrorized him and hundreds of others since that dreaded day eight years ago.

But now that he could see Uzumaki Naruto face to face, he had no idea why he had any fears at all. This child just seemed to be lost, a poor son of the streets dealt a hard hand in life. He frowned slightly as he observed the three, thinking just what the Hyuuga were doing to the poor child. As they approached he shook off his negative attitude and smiled warmly at the three.

He raised his hand in greeting to the three. "Hello!" he called cheerfully. He looked to the boy on the left and nodded. "Good to see you back Neji." he said to the boy.

Neji nodded back to the man in a silent greeting as he went on to the others. Iruka turned to the other two of the group. "Hello, I am Umino Iruka, but you two can call me Iruka-sensei, since I'll be in charge of your class for the next four years. You must be Hyuuga Hinata and Naruto, correct?" he said with a smile, but it slipped slightly when he noticed the blond step slightly in front of the Hyuuga heir, and in turn see her hide behind him slightly.

Hinata looked down slightly, her grip on Naruto's sleeve tightening. "I-It's good to m-meet you Iruka-sensei." she said in a quiet voice as Naruto bowed slightly to the man without saying a word. Iruka raised an eyebrow at the blond. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself young man?" he asked the boy, but got a slight glare from the blond in return. Iruka was about to ask the boy again before Neji cut in.

"I'm sorry Iruka-sensei, but Naruto-san has been suffering from an injury to his throat from a mistake during a sparring session. He is, for now, unable to speak without doing more harm to himself." Neji explained to the Academy teacher.

Iruka blinked a few times before nodding in understanding. He turned back to Naruto and bowed his head slightly in apology. "I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't know-" he started to say before Naruto raised a hand up and shook his head with a slight smile on his face.

He made a quick sign with his hand, bringing his index and middle finger up and making a circle in the air before touching his heart. Iruka looked to Neji for a translation. "He said all is forgiven." Neji clarified before turning to Hinata. "Hinata-sama, you will need to explain what Naruto says to Iruka-sensei for the time being until he learns Naruto's sign language." he instructed to the Clan Heir. She nodded nervously before turning back to Iruka.

Iruka smiled wholeheartedly before looking behind the group to see more and more children making their way to the Academy with their parents. He looked down at the three and waved them towards the building. "Why don't you three head on in. I need to greet the other students before they go in. Neji, you remember where you class is? Good. Naruto, Hinata, your homeroom will be in room 109. I'll see you two again when class starts." he said with a smile as the three made their way into the Academy.

. . . .

Naruto and Hinata sat in the top row of the Academy classroom in the desks next to the window. Hinata sat at the end next to the window while Naruto sat next her, keeping a watchful eye out for his friend and charge. They were still the only ones in the room until the door opened to reveal a black haired boy whose hair was tied up into a spiky ponytail, which looked suspiciously like a pineapple. He wore a light green vest and a fishnet undershirt along with dark grey cargo pants. He had a tired look on his face as he walked up to one of the middle desks in the middle row and promptly sat in the middle chair and promptly fell asleep.

Quickly following the boy was another boy with a chubby complexion and spiky brown hair and two swirl like marks on his cheeks along with a bag of Barbeque chips in his hands. He sat down next to the sleeping boy with a happy look on his face and started munching on his chips before offering a quick wave in greeting to Naruto and Hinata.

Naruto smiled lightly and returned the boy's wave while Hinata nervously nodded to him while averting her eyes from him. Naruto liked the vibe the two of them were giving off, they felt like they could be pretty cool to be around, maybe he'd try to befriend them later.

Kurama snorted in his head as the thoughts ran to him. " _ **You might actually have to talk to them to do that."**_ he snickered, making Naruto mentally growl.

" _Baka Kitsune…"_ he grumbled to the demon fox, causing Kurama to chuckle and cut off the connection.

The next to enter the room was a boy with short, spiky brown hair and a black tee shirt. On his head was a tiny little puppy with white fur and seemed to have a happy smile as he yipped in greeting to the people in the room. The boy smiled as he looked around the room before his eyes landed on Naruto and Hinata. He instantly started walking over to them with a large grin and sat down next Naruto. He leaned forward to look past Naruto and jerked his thumb towards himself. "My name's Inuzuka Kiba, and this here is Akamaru," he said as Akamaru yipped in greeting. "What's yours?" he asked Hinata, ignoring Naruto's slight glare.

Hinata began to stammer and press her fingers together and blush. "My-my name's Hinata. I-It's nice to meet y-you Kiba-san." she said to the Inuzuka, getting an even larger grin from the boy.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the boy, taking his appearance to be a threat. He looked over to Hinata and moved his hand in a quick circle and flashed four of his fingers and jerked his thumb to the Inuzuka. Hinata read what he was trying to say and shook her head. "N-No Naruto-kun. K-Kiba-san i-isn't bothering me." she said with a slight smile, happy that her friend was trying to look out for her.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at the blond. "The heck was that huh?" he asked in a slightly aggressive tone. Only for Naruto to ignore him and keep looking towards the door, waiting for the next person to enter. Kiba growled lightly and tried to get a rise out of Naruto, but a quick glare from Hinata stopped him. Kiba grumbled as he laid his head down on his arms and Akamaru curled up on the desk next to his head.

After a few minutes kids started streaming into the classroom and taking seats as they entered, all talking to each other and discussing how excited they were to become a Shinobi and Kunoichi.

Naruto didn't really pay attention to any of the kids that came in, his instincts telling him they were nowhere near a threat to either him or Hinata. He kept a disinterested expression until a boy with black spiky hair and dark sunglasses walked into the room and sat in the row in front of him. He was getting a strange vibe from the boy, and he could've sworn he heard buzzing coming from him.

Naruto shook off his suspicions since he couldn't feel any negative emotions coming from the boy, so he decided to go back to observe the rest of the class. Once the room was nearly filled, two girls walked in the classroom seemingly in the middle of an argument over something.

"No way Ino-pig! Sasuke-kun would never want to sit next to you!" the pink haired girl shouted at the blond next to her. The blond scoffed at her and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Like he would sit next to you and your big forehead, billboard brow." she huffed at the girl before taking a look around the class. "Aw...Sasuke-kun isn't even here yet!" she pouted before walking to an open row and taking a seat. The pink haired girl growled at the blond before taking the seat next to her and looking towards the door with a hopeful look on her face.

Naruto's first impression of the two….definitely no risk from them….and highly annoying. He looked over at Hinata with a deadpanned expression, causing the Hyuuga Heiress to giggle slightly, covering her mouth with her sleeve as she hid her smile. Kiba looked at the blond with a sneer before huffing and laying his head back down.

After a few minutes, before the bell rang, a raven haired boy walked into the classroom and instantly took a seat at the far end of the room next to the window. The pink haired girl and the blond, along with several of the other girls in the class, all cried out for the boy with hearts in their eyes, causing Naruto and Kiba to rear back in pain as their cries hurt their enhanced ears.

Kiba began to grumble about pretty boys and fangirls, while Naruto was busy covering his ears and listening to Kurama rant about annoying human vixens.

As soon as the bell rang Iruka entered the room with a clipboard in hand, and was followed by a second instructor. This instructor wore the standard Chuunin uniform, along with a blue bandana that held his Hitai-ate and covered his shoulder length silver hair. The man, however, walked with a cane in his hand as his left leg had a slight limp to it. The man looked over the class until his eyes landed on Naruto, causing the man to grin evilly at the blond.

As soon as Naruto saw the man he broke out into a cold sweat. " _ **Kit?"**_ Kurama said as he suddenly felt a large amount of fear pass over his vessel. He took a look into the classroom through Naruto's eyes and began to growl. " _ **Don't worry Kit...He can hurt you now, you would crush him if he tried."**_ the fox encouraged his host, causing the boy's fear to drop some, but not entirely.

Naruto gulped as he steeled his gaze at the man. The man who had broken into his home on his birthday. The man who had chased him into the training fields. The man who had hurt him. The man who caused him to be taken by the Hyuuga.

Iruka cleared his throat and looked at the class before him. "Good morning and welcome to the Academy! My name is Umino Iruka, your main instructor for the next four years. And this is my assistant instructor, Mizuki."

Mizuki smiled at the rest of the class until his eyes landed on Naruto once again. "I hope we all can get along for the next _four years…"_

. . . .

Naruto was fighting off the urge to fall asleep as Iruka was going through roll call. After some reassurance from Kurama, his fear of Mizuki was nearly completely gone, and now he just had make it through the day.

He nearly let his head fall on the table, but Hinata stopped him by tugging on his sleeve. He blinked a few times and silently yawned and cracked his neck to wake himself up. He looked at Iruka as he started roll call. "Aburame Shino?" he called out to the class, making the kid in sunglasses raise his hand. "Here." he called in a deep and quiet voice. Iruka nodded and continued on with the list.

Naruto looked at the boy with a slightly interested gaze before Iruka called out again. "Akimichi Chouji?" he called, getting the chubby kid with the chips to raise his hand as he munched on a chip. Iruka nodded to the boy, not caring that he had food in class as he continued.

"Haruno Sakura?" he called, getting the pink haired girl to raise her hand and call out. "Here!" she called in a high pitched, but happy voice.

Iruka continued to call out kids as Naruto put names to faces. He eventually got to Hinata and she replied in her usual nervous attitude. Naruto didn't mind how she replied, but the fact that several of the other guys in the room were looking at Hinata with either a confidant smirk or a sneer made him on edge.

"Hyuuga Naruto?" he called as he looked up to where Naruto was sitting. Naruto raised his hand up in acknowledgement, but that apparently wasn't good enough. Mizuki growled as he leaned forward.

"Hyuuga! Speak when spoken to!" he growled out at the blond, making Naruto scowl at the man. Iruka turned to Mizuki with a frown.

"Mizuki I thought I told you about his-" he started to say until a strained and gravelly voice interrupted him.

"He-here." Naruto choked out, coughing a few times after speaking. He looked at Mizuki with a glare as a small trickle of blood ran down his chin.

The rest of the class looked at him with wide eyes, and then back to Mizuki with slight glares. Why would a teacher out right make a student speak when it hurt him too? Mizuki gave Naruto a wicked smile before nodding his head. "Good, now don't make me tell you again Hyuuga." he said before waving to Iruka to continue.

Iruka seethed at the man before looked back to his list. Sure, he knew that Mizuki hated Naruto, in his mind he had good reason too. But, when it got in the way of his professionalism, that was a little too far.

Naruto wiped away the blood on his chin as Hinata looked at him with worry in her eyes. Naruto turned to her and gave her a thumbs up, 'I'm fine' he signed. She nodded, the worry never leaving her gaze.

Kiba looked at the blond with a raised eyebrow. " _Pft, this kid is gonna get himself killed. No shinobi in his right mind would be on active duty without being able to talk."_ he thought as he went back to trying to doze during class.

"Inuzuka Kiba?" Iruka called, making Kiba raise his hand.

"Here," he droned as he laid his head back down. "Man this is sooo boring, I just wanna fight stuff already." he grumbled under his breath, earning a soft yip from Akamaru.

Kurama snorted at the kid. " _ **Like he could really fight anything. I bet his dog can fight better than him."**_ he said, nearly getting Naruto to break out into laughter. Hinata looked at her friend with an amused smile as she witnessed his inner battle of wills, trying not to laugh at Kiba's comment. She knew that Naruto could most likely take on all of the students here singlehandedly without too much trouble. The only reason he was REALLY here was to protect her. She didn't mind his guarding of her. He worked diligently and truly cared for her wellbeing, but the fact that she still needed a guard made her a little upset with herself. She was still weak…

"Nara Shikamaru?" Iruka called out, breaking Naruto and Hinata out of their thoughts when they heard a loud snore and a surprised "Mmm-gra-what!?" said the sleeping kid as he snapped awake when his name was called. Iruka frowned at the boy as a tic mark grew on his forehead. "Nara! No sleeping in class!" he yelled angrily, earning a chuckle from Mizuki and a tired 'troublesome' from Shikamaru.

Iruka shook his head as he continued to the list. "Uchiha Sasuke." he called, making a LOT of the girls in class squeal as they heard 'their Sasuke-kun' be called, and earned a loud growl from Kurama.

" _ **I knew it! That little shit is an Uchiha! Brat, listen to me, if you ever get to fight him, I want you to beat him into the ground as hard as possible! Make that little Uchiha bastard suffer!"**_ Kurama howled in anger towards Sasuke. Naruto was surprised by Kurama's reaction, but he just summed it up to the fact that Kurama just had a natural hatred for all Uchiha's, especially with what that Madara guy did to him.

Iruka finally ended roll call with the final name. "Yamanaka Ino?" he called out and earned a cheeky 'here' from the blond sitting next to Sakura. Iruka nodded and set down his list and placed his hands on his desk as he stood. He gave all of the students a serious look before speaking.

"So? You all think you want to be shinobi?"

. . . .

" _ **I spy something stupid."**_ Kurama said in a bored tone as Iruka continued his long speech about the world of shinobi and the dangers of the profession.

" _Is it Iruka-sensei?"_ Naruto responded in an equally bored tone.

" _ **Got it in one brat."**_ Kurama snorted in return. " _ **Your turn."**_

Naruto sighed mentally and shook his head. " _Why even bother? You can just read my thoughts and know what it is anyway."_ he countered. Kurama shrugged and looked at the class through Naruto's eyes.

" _ **You have a better way to pass the time?"**_ he said in a cynical tone.

Naruto paused for a moment before sighing in defeat. " _I spy something pink."_ he said as Kurama instantly caught on.

" _ **The she banshee?"**_

" _Yup."_

" _ **Sweet."**_

Naruto ran a hand through his hair before laying his head down on his arms like Kiba was doing. " _Sooooooo booooorrrreeeedddd."_ he mentally complained as Kurama echoed his claim. " _Honestly! How the heck can someone make the life of a shinobi sound so boring!"_ he cried as he mentally flailed his arms and legs.

Hinata looked at her friend and had to suppress a giggle at seeing his obviously bored expression. She shook her head and looked back to Iruka as he finally finished his speech.

"Now, we will start going over the basics of trapping, foraging, history, and strategy tomorrow, but for now, it's time we see where you all rank physically. Meet at the outside training field after lunch." Iruka instructed the class just before the bell for lunch rang.

Kids started filing out of the class in groups to go get lunch and find a place to eat. Naruto stood with Hinata and lead her out of the room, Kiba following after them. "Hey! Hinata-chan! Want to have lunch with me?" the Inuzuka asked with a smirk.

Hinata, who had been following behind Naruto, grabbed the blond's sleeve and looked down at the floor. "W-Well...I-I….I don't…" she started to stammer as she looked to Naruto for assistance.

The blond shrugged and signed, 'Why not? I'll be with you anyway.'

Hinata nodded and then looked to Kiba. "S-sure Kiba-san." she said, still holding onto Naruto's sleeve. Kiba smiled at her and reached to grab her arm and lead her away, but was cut off by Naruto grabbing his arm with a scowl. The blond shook his head at the Inuzuka as Kiba growled at him.

"Hey man, what's your deal? She said she wanted to eat with me." he growled as Naruto glared at him. Naruto held up Kiba's arm and pointed at his hand and shook his head, giving off the implied, 'No touching' command.

Hinata intervened before a fight could break out. "So-Sorry Kiba-san. N-Naruto-kun is my bodyguard. He-he's just doing his job." she clarified for the Inuzuka. Kiba kept his scowl up but nodded.

"Alright, whatever. Let's go Hinata-chan." he said as he lead the two to the roof.

. . . .

Lunch was...an awkward affair, to say the least. Hinata, by her own nature, wasn't very talkative with the Inuzuka, and Kiba was trying a little _too_ hard to impress her. Plus with Naruto's constant vigilance, it made Kiba slightly on edge.

Just as Kiba was about to start saying how awesome he and Akamaru were again, the bell for lunch to end rang, causing Naruto to stand with Hinata. "C-Come on Kiba-san. We don't w-want to be late." Hinata said as she held onto Naruto's sleeve and walked off with him.

Kiba scowled at the blond and shook his head. "You'd think he was her boyfriend or something…" he grumbled under his breath.

He wasn't the only one to notice how the two acted either. A certain blond girl and her pink haired friend had stopped trying to talk to Sasuke and saw how Naruto and Hinata were acting with Kiba.

"Man, what's the Hyuuga Heiress doing with some kid who looks like he's from the streets anyway?" Sakura said as she watched the two walk off. Ino shrugged and looked at her fellow blond.

"I don't know, but he seems kinda cool, don't ya think? I mean, he's so protective of his little princess." she said as her and Sakura started to follow after the rest of the class to the outdoor training field.

Sakura shrugged and then had a dreamy look on her face. "Yeah, but not as cool as Sasuke-kun~" she said with a blissful sigh. Ino soon joined her in her daydreaming about the raven haired Uchiha. They both tilted their heads to the side and let out blissful sighs as they thought about their Sasuke-kun.

It wasn't until Iruka's voice snapped them out of their dreams did they stop. "Alright! Now I know many of you have never fought before, but we are going to see how well you already know how to fight. We are going to have you spar with each other so we can get a read on what you strengths and weaknesses are. So, the rules of the spars are, no breaking of bones. No strikes below the belt. And when someone forfeits, or me and Mizuki say the match is over, then the match is _over_. Now, line up so we can start." he explained and the children followed his instructions.

Naruto nearly groaned as he watched fight after fight. These kids SUCKED! From pushing, to hair pulling. They had no idea on how to fight. Save for the few kids that were from clans. Chouji and Shino had to fight, and to be honest, he was impressed with the kids. Chouji fought hard with Shino, but he eventually was knocked out of the ring by the bigger boy and lost the match.

Naruto snorted in good humor when Shikamaru gave up before even starting, and he already knew Kiba would probably win against the civilian child he was fighting. It wasn't until he was called did his boredom cease.

Mizuki had a sinister glint in his eye as he called out the next spar. "Hyuuga and Uchiha. Get on over here." he said, knowing very well that Sasuke was an up and coming prodigy of the Uchiha clan. Sure, he wasn't anywhere close to the ability and prowess of his older brother, Itachi, but he was hands down the strongest of the new generation. And who better to beat the demon into the ground than one of the mighty Uchiha.

Sasuke wordlessly walked into the center of the ring, a cocky grin on his face. Hinata looked at Naruto with a small smile and nodded to him to go. Naruto returned the nod, and walked into the ring.

Sasuke scoffed at the little interaction between the two. "What? Need to ask your girlfriend for permission to fight?" he asked the blond, earning a glare from him. He shook his head and entered his stance. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and entered his own stance. The Uchiha's interception fist. He growled lightly at the blond. "I thought Mizuki-sensei said to talk when spoken too?" he growled out. Mizuki, hearing this smirked and nodded.

"That I did." he said while smirking at Naruto.

The blond growled at Mizuki before speaking. "Need...permission...to-to ki...kick...your ass." he choked out, fighting back the coughing fit that threatened to take over. Several of the Sasuke fan club girls gasped at the blond's words, while several of the guys smirked and silently rooted for the blond. Hinata smiled at Naruto and sent a quick nod to the boy. 'Go get him.' she wordlessly said.

Mizuki sneered at the boy and raised his hand before looking to the two and then lowering his hand.

"Hajime!" he called and jumped out of the circle.

Sasuke snarled and dashed forward at Naruto, earning squeals from his fangirls. Naruto just sunk a little lower into his stance and readied himself. Sasuke brought his left fist up and cocked it back. As soon as he was within range he sent his fist out in a one way track to Naruto's face. But the blond saw this coming from a mile away and shifted his head out of the way before snaking his right arm around Sasuke's and grabbing the back of the boy's neck. He brought up his right leg and kneed the boy in the gut before releasing the boy and shooting his left arm out in a knife hand strike to the raven haired boy's shoulder.

After taking the blow to the stomach, Sasuke lurched forward and nearly lost his lunch, and once he was released he shakily took a step away from the blond. He turned to face Naruto just in time to take a strike to his shoulder, making him lose feeling in his right arm.

The Uchiha staggered back and looked at his arm and noticed it hanging limply at his side. His eyes were wide as he tried to move it, but couldn't seem to even make the arm twitch.

Inside Naruto's mind, Kurama was laughing and urging for Naruto to draw blood. The blond had to actively keep the fox back as to not let his killing intent leak out of him and frighten any of the kids. Naruto bent his legs into a low crouch before launching towards the Uchiha and delivering a powerful kick to the boy's head, sending him sliding out of the ring.

Naruto let out a long and slow breath as he eased out of his fighting stance and walked out of the ring and back to Hinata. All those who were watching had shocked looks on their faces, except Hinata of course. She smiled at her friend and offered a quick congratulations before Mizuki went to check on Sasuke, who was still lying to on the ground.

He reached down and jostled the boy a bit, earning a groan from the still unconscious boy. Mizuki growled in his mind, wondering just how in the world did Naruto get strong enough to beat an Uchiha. Iruka walked up next to Mizuki and tried to hide his smirk. "Why don't you take Sasuke-san to the infirmary while I start everyone on the next exercise." he said to his assistant. Mizuki grunted in response and left with Sasuke slung over his shoulder.

. . . .

The rest of the Academy kids, save for Hinata, were all looking at Naruto with a combination of shock, awe, fear, and anger.

"How dare he do that to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura growled out as Ino held her back from attacking the blond. Kiba backed a few steps away from the blond, taking in the fact that he was Hinata's bodyguard for a good reason. Shino remained silent as he observed the blond.

Iruka sighed as he watched his students react to the surprising upset. "Alright everyone! That's enough of that, it's time to move on." he said as he ushered the class towards a different part of the training field.

This part had three human shaped targets made of straw, lined up at different distances from a chalk line in the dirt. Iruka looked at his students and pointed to the two boxes that were at his feet. "Alright, now we're going to see how well you already know how to throw a weapon. You'll come up one by one and take three Kunai, and three Shuriken and throw them at the targets. You can throw them all together, or one at a time. It doesn't matter as long as you are able to hit the target." he explained to the class before having kids walk up and test their abilities.

And just like before, Naruto was bored and disappointed by the kids of his generation. Sure the clan kids did decent enough, but come on! Is it that hard to hit a target ten feet away from you!

When it was finally Naruto's turn up he smirked and popped his knuckles before taking three kunai in one hand and three shuriken in the other. And in a quick crossing motion of his arms he launched all six projectiles, making them all hit their targets, all bunched up together around the bullseye.

And it was at this point that he knew, based on the shocked looks from his classmates and even his instructor, that his school life was going to be a boring one. " _This is gonna suck…"_ he mentally pouted. Kurama chuckled darkly as he laid his head down on his front paws.

" _ **Yeah, well at least you'll get to kick that Uchiha bastards ass whenever you like."**_ he chuckled before deciding to take a nap. Naruto shook his head and sighed.

" _Sorry, this is gonna suck...for me that is. I bet you'll have a ball."_

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued….**

 **Bulba Fett: Dun Dun Dun, Another one bites the dust! (I own nuthin of what I quote!) Another day, another late night chapter released because I'm too lazy to actually take the 20 minutes out of my day and do this at a reasonable time :D**

 **Whatever, I do what I want.**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that...**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 10: Four Years

. . . .

 _And it was at this point that he knew, based on the shocked looks from his classmates and even his instructor, that his school life was going to be a boring one. "This is gonna suck…" he mentally pouted. Kurama chuckled darkly as he laid his head down on his front paws._

" _ **Yeah, well at least you'll get to kick that Uchiha bastards ass whenever you like."**_ _he chuckled before deciding to take a nap. Naruto shook his head and sighed._

" _Sorry, this is gonna suck...for me that is. I bet you'll have a ball."_

. . . .

Sasuke stirred on the bed in the infirmary. He slowly opened his eyes with a groan as he sat up, gingerly testing his jaw and making sure that blond idiot didn't knock out any teeth. "What the heck...how could such a...a...peasant, match up against me!? I'm an Uchiha, how could this happen?" He mumbled to himself as he gripped the covers on the bed out of frustration.

He quickly shook his head of those thoughts and remembered what his brother had told him.

" _Remember little brother, just because you are from a clan, doesn't mean you are stronger than others. You need to work to become stronger, so that one day you can protect what is precious to you…"_

Sasuke took a deep breath, calming his pride as he got up from the bed, still a little shaky from the blow to the head. He started to head towards the door, but stopped when it opened.

"Oh! Sasuke, it's good to see you up already." Iruka said with a smile. "Why don't you sit down so I can do a quick check on you and make sure you don't have a concussion." He said as he gestured to a chair by the door.

Sasuke nodded and took a seat as Iruka brought a flashlight to his eyes. "Okay...eyes seem good...Can you follow my finger for me without moving your head?" He said as he brought up a finger and started to move it from side to side. Sasuke followed the finger as instructed and Iruka smirked.

"One last thing." He said as he coated his hand in chakra and placed it on Sasuke's forehead. "This is just a simple medical ninjutsu. It'll tell me if you have any internal bleeding and will help diagnose a problem within the inspected area." He explained to the boy, getting Sasuke to raise an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" He asked the teacher. Iruka nervously smiled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I'm not the best medic so it's best for me to do a few tests first so I can get an accurate read." He said with a nervous chuckle as he finished checking the boy.

"Well, you look A-okay. You should head on out now. Classes ended an hour ago and you brother is waiting for you outside." He said with a kind smile before turning towards the door.

He was about to leave when Sasuke stopped him. "Uh...Iruka-sensei? Just who was that kid I fought, there was no way a civilian could keep up with me." He asked with a serious look on his face.

Iruka sighed before turning to the young Uchiha and kneeling in front of him. He thought for a brief moment before speaking. "Well...you see...Naruto is, well, he's a bit of a special case. He was an orphan until about a year and a half ago, when the Hyuuga clan adopted him. To my knowledge, he lived on his own before he joined the clan, but for some reason they wanted him to join."

"But why?" Sasuke asked the teacher with a confused expression. Why would a clan with such high socio-political standing as the Hyuuga take in a kid off the streets? It made no sense!

Sasuke's musings were cut off when a deep monotone voice called out. "Sasuke, it's time to go." The boy's brother called from the other side of the door, behind Iruka. Uchiha Itachi was a average height man with shoulder length black hair and equally black eyes. His features were stoic, save for the slight grin he had when he looked at his brother.

Iruka turned to Itachi with a grateful smile, happy to have the older Uchiha bail him out of this awkward situation. "Sorry Itachi-san. Sasuke was just asking me a few questions about class before he headed out." He lied before turning to Sasuke. "I'll see you tomorrow at seven o'clock sharp Sasuke. Don't be late." He said with a smirk before he left the room to the two Uchiha brothers.

Itachi looked down at his little brother and quirked an eyebrow. "So, you want to tell me what got you stuck in the infirmary on your first day?"

. . . .

"ACHOO!" The blond in question sneezed out. Hinata looked at him in worry while Neji just shook his head in exasperation at the blond. Naruto sniffed while he wiped his nose with a tissue Hinata gave him.

"A-Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" The indigo haired Hyuuga asked. Naruto gave the girl a small smile before signing 'I'm fine.' Hinata let out a small breath as the three continued on their way to the Compound.

Neji walked a few paces ahead of Naruto and the Heiress. Hinata stuck close to her bodyguard as he walked with his arms behind his head. The blond chose to ignore the whispers. The subtle glances. The ignorant gossip that surrounded the blond. He knew all too well what they were talking about. And frankly, even if he had a rough time with the Hyuuga, he was very welcome to the thought of not having to hear, to see, and to feel the hatred that the village he called home held for him.

Although, a single voice stood out amongst the sea of gossip. "N-Naruto!" He heard someone shout as the three passed a small corner side restaurant. The blond's eyes widened as he recognized the voice, the stand, the familiar smell in the air. He turned just in time to see a man running towards him with open arms.

Neji tensed as he lept to cut the man off, but his blonde partner beat him to punch as Naruto dashed forward at the man. But not to defend Hinata, no, he jumped into the man's open arms and latched onto him like a child does their father or grandfather after returning home. The man holding the blond carefully sank down onto his knees as he hugged Naruto close.

"Naruto!" A young teenage girl yelled as she showed up next to the man and joined in on the hug. And it was safe to say, Neji was confused.

. . . .

"So, you're a bodyguard now eh?" Teuchi said from behind the counter to Ichiraku Ramen as he prepared another bowl for his favorite customer. The blond in question nodded as he slurped up the final bits of noodle from his bowl before downing the broth in one go.

Neji looked slightly disgusted at his partner as he watched him eat inhuman amounts of the unhealthy food while Hinata just giggled at her friends antics. Ayame looked at the Hyuuga Heiress with a slight smirk. As soon as Teuchi placed another bowl in front of the blond he began to inhale the food like he had never eaten before. And then she noticed something, the little Heiress started to eye the bowl of food with a curious expression.

Ayame leaned over the counter and gave Hinata a warm smile. "Do you want to try some Hinata-sama?" She asked with a sweet tone. Neji was about to cut in with claims that the type of food they were selling was below the tastes of nobility, but when Naruto gave Hinata a star filled look Hinata nodded vigorously.

Ayame giggled and turned to her father and tugged his sleeve. "One Miso Ramen for Hinata-sama too Tou-san." She said with a smile, making Teuchi smirk before starting another bowl for the princess.

Oh how Teuchi's thoughts began to roam as he thought of having a Clan Heiress as a regular at his shop along with Naruto. Maybe he could finally afford that extension he wanted to make!

After a few minutes he placed the bowl in front of the heiress and waited for her reaction. And he wasn't disappointed. He could tell that after the first bite the little girl was almost as hooked as the blond that sat next to her.

Neji gaped as he watched the two hold up their empty bowls. "More please," Hinata said for the both of them as Naruto nodded along. Teuchi smiled before turning back to his cooking station. He then let his smile turn into a calculative smirk. Maybe in a few years, he'll make a special table for the two. Some nice seats, rose petals, some candles. Ah, he could see it now. It was a happy money filled dream.

. . . .

After eating their fill, the three made their way home. Once they entered through the gates they were greeted by the guards and a running blur that crashed right into Naruto. He expelled the air from his lungs as he was tackled to the ground in a bear hug from a smiling toddler.

"Naru!" She cheered as she sat on top of him with a large smile. Naruto smiled at the girl and patted her head. Hinata puffed out a cheek at the little girl before picking her up off the blond. "Mou, Hanabi-chan. Otou-sama said to stop tackling Naruto-kun." She chided her sister in mock anger.

Hanabi gave her sister a pout before sticking her tongue out at her and running off to Sage knows where. Hinata sighed at her sister's antics, wondering if Naruto was either being a good or bad influence on her. But hey, the blond was literally her best, and only friend, so why not let her sister be like him, it couldn't hurt all that much.

After meeting up with Tora, Naruto and Neji were dismissed to go work on their school work for the night.

Naruto made his way back to his shack and opened the door. He walked in and flopped down onto his cot. " _Ugh, school sucks!"_ He whined as he curled up in a blanket, feeling like a nap.

Kurama snorted in his mind. " _ **Aw, come on Kit, it wasn't that bad. You were able to kick that brat's ass pretty good. Just imagine doing that everyday! It'll be paradise!"**_ Kurama cheered at the thought of his container beating the life out of Uchiha's.

Naruto sighed as he shook his head. " _Again, Kurama, that is only fun for you."_ He grumbled to the fox. Kurama just brushed him off with a roll of his eyes.

" _ **Just take your nap before you come for your regular training, and don't forget to go visit your mate tonight~"**_ he mocked making Naruto blush, hard.

" _She! She-Hinata is NOT my mate!"_ He mentally sputtered at the fox, hearing the beast cackle until the connection ended.

. . . .

And time passed on like that. A happy pattern to each day. It wasn't until the third year at the academy did things change.

Naruto and Hinata walked into the Academy and took their normal seats in the back row. A few minutes later, Choji and Shikamaru, followed by Kiba and Akamaru, took seats either next to or in front of the duo.

Shikamaru, being the normal Nara he was, instantly laid his head down and fell asleep, while Choji kept up the Akimichi stereotype and happily ate his chips. Kiba sat next to Naruto as usual and tried to start talking with Hinata, only for a stern look from Naruto made him back off. The blond could hear Kurama snicker in his head about being an Alpha in the pack, and chose to ignore it.

It was business as usual until Sasuke walked into the room

. . . .

The night before that, was one that had changed the course of Konoha's history.

Sasuke was walking home with his brother as usual. They were nearly in the Uchiha Compound when Sasuke felt Itachi's hand fall onto his shoulder. Sasuke looked up to his brother and froze.

Two red eyes were looking ahead of them, the three tomoe spinning slowly in each eye. "Sasuke...wait here…" Itachi said to his brother as his hand gave a firm squeeze on his shoulder.

Sasuke nodded to his brother, not knowing what was going on or how to respond. Itachi smiled at his little brother, noticing his confused state. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." He ensured before blurring out of sight in a burst of speed.

Itachi rushed through the silent Uchiha compound. His stomach rolling with the horrid sights that littered the streets. Only death roamed in those streets. Bodies littered the roads, the roofs, the open windows of homes. Blood ran like rivers down the street, as well as it poured down the gutters of the homes of the fair few that fought back against whom ever brought such horrid genocide upon the eldest living clan of Konoha.

His gaze darkened as he ran through his thoughts. Whoever had done this, had gained an enemy they would surely fear.

And then it occurred to him. Why hasn't someone noticed yet? Surely someone would have been able to get away and inform the Hokage, or any shinobi of the attack. Just what in the world was going on that all these people could be dead without the village knowing or rising to fight the invader?

He rushed through the compound to the one place he was worried about most.

Home.

Once he came up on his house, he drew his blade, feeling a single presence in the house. He came up to the doors, slowly, hiding his killing intent and making his movements silent. Opening the doors just enough for him to slip in, he dashed into the house, sticking to the shadows, hiding himself from whoever may be within.

Once within his home, he saw his father, and his mother, lying on the ground beneath the boot of his enemy.

The man wore a long black cloak, which was adorned with red flowing clouds lined in white. His face, hidden by an orange, spiraling mask. His left eye hidden behind the mask, but his right eye on full display.

The faint red glow coming from the port made for the eye, made Itachi's own eye's widen in shock. The man's voice, deep with malice and cunning, echoed throughout the house as he chuckled.

"Itachi...why don't you come out from your hiding. I know where you are, and I wouldn't dare strike you down. No, you are too important to my plans to let die now. I only wish to talk with you." The man called out as he looked directly at the hidden form of the ANBU Captain.

Itachi glowered at the man and slowly stepped out from his hiding place. His sword still in his grasp as he stared into the lone eye of the traitorous Uchiha. "Your name...Tell me your name since you seem to already know mine. And after that, we shall see if talking is all that I'll do." Itachi hissed, holding back his rage before the man. He didn't know who, or what this man was, and he was not sure enough, if he alone could even hope to match the strength of one who could slaughter so many.

The masked man chuckled once more before his red eye glowed bright. "My, my Itachi. The stoic man of the Uchiha seems to have fangs after all. Fine, I'll give you my name. I am the one all of the Uchiha should have idolized, all you should have hoped to be, before this wretched clan fell from grace and let their pride trounce their talent. I, Uchiha Itachi, am Uchiha Madara." He said before his body began to shimmer, and unravel.

Itachi's stunned silence gave all the time that 'Madara' needed. His body began to fade, swirling in on itself, as his eye glowed even brighter than before. "Remember Itachi. One day I will return for you...and your brother. And when that day comes, you will join me, or the Uchiha clan will finally be no more."

. . . .

Sasuke walked into his classroom in the Academy with a vacant look on his face. He ignored the call outs from Sakura and Ino, along with several of the other girls in the class.

He aimlessly walked to his desk and sat. Looking off into space without a care in the world.

He may have seemed to be emotionless, not conveying anything that one could discern. But only someone who had the same eyes as him could possibly understand his pain.

A pain Naruto knew all too well.

. . . .

And as the time passed, the truth was heard. The word of Uchiha Itachi was spread throughout the village, that the once mighty Uchiha clan was brought down to a lonely two.

. . . .

" _Ninety-five...Ninety-six...Ninety...seven…"_ Naruto mentally counted as he exercised. The little blond boy had grown over the last four years, and not just physically. Having a millennia old demon sealed within you, acting like a tutor works wonders for one's grades.

Currently, the boy was in his shack doing his morning routine. Which currently consisted of vertical pushups, a hundred of them.

" _ **Oi, Kit…"**_ Kurama called the get the blond's attention.

" _Ninety...eight...what's up Kurama?"_ He asked as he continued working.

" _ **Someone's coming."**_ He stated to the blond. Naruto quirked an eyebrow but kept working.

" _So? Ninety...nine…."_ He questioned the fox _._

" _ **Just thought I'd warn you…"**_ the fox trailed off in a wistful tone. Okay, now Naruto was intrigued _._

" _What do you mean by that? One...Hundred!"_ He mentally cheered as he finished his set. He would have continued on, if he didn't hear his door open.

"H-Hey Naruto-kun, I thought I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I…." Hinata started to say as she walked into his shack, before freezing in place upon seeing the shirtless, sweat covered Naruto standing on his hands looking right at her. The last thought that ran through her mind before she passed out was something along the lines of, 'OH GOD! THE MUSCLES~~!'

Just before Hinata could hit the floor, Naruto dashed behind her and caught the unconscious girl. The blond let out a sigh of relief as he carefully set her onto the ground, and propped her up against the wall. " _You could have told me it was Hinata-chan you ass!"_ He mentally berated the fox.

Kurama burst into laughter and rolled around in his cage. " _ **And what!? Miss out on seeing the little vixen faint like that!? That shit is priceless!"**_ He howled in amusement, making Naruto growl and cut the connection. Naruto sighed and shook his head as he went over to his dresser to retrieve his smelling salts.

He didn't know why, but ever since Hinata turned eleven, this just started to become a normal thing for the blond. Even though he insisted that they get Hinata looked at by a doctor, Hiashi and Tora just laughed and said she would be fine once she woke up. What if this was serious!? What if it happened during a mission!? He was not going to let _his_ Hinata-chan get hurt from a fainting spell….wait...did he just say his?

Before he could elaborate further into that thought, Hinata began to stir and open her eyes. And being the graceful idiot he claimed he wasn't, Naruto was still not wearing a shirt, making Hinata explode into a heated blush, trying to keep herself from obviously staring.

Sometimes the Byakugan was a beautiful thing.

She looked away slightly and began to stammer. "I-I..uh..I-I thought th-that you an...and I could go-go and go to t-the Academy early today since well...you know…" she stuttered out, still trying to not look directly at the half dressed Naruto.

The blond smiled at her and hopped onto his feet before giving her a nod. He then moved his hands through his own special language. 'Sure, just let me clean up and get dressed.' He signed to her.

Hinata nodded and shakily walked out of the shack to wait outside. As she closed the door she nearly fainted again as the images she saw ran through her mind again. However, she was able to catch herself and shake off those thoughts. " _Stop it Hinata!"_ She mentally berated herself. " _You know it could never happen...the Elders would kill him if the thought ever came to them…"_ she thought to herself sadly.

Why? Why did she have to fall for him. He was her best friend, her only friend. And now she was selfishly putting his life in danger by liking him too much. She couldn't believe how cruel the world could be. She looked back on her time with the blond with a bittersweet smile on her face. She needed to get past this, for Naruto's sake.

Her thoughts were cut off when the door to said blond's shack opened revealing the boy with his hair slightly matted down with water, and wearing his usual attire, goggles and all. His glowing smile was on his face as he walked out and closed his door behind him.

Hinata let a small smile grace her lips. "A-are you ready, Naruto-kun?" She asked the blond earning a smiling nod from the boy. And without a further word, the two made their way to the Academy. Wanting to get there early for their final day as civilians.

. . . .

Iruka sighed as he and Mizuki entered room 109. He looked over the this year's graduating class with a small smile, knowing that great things were in store with these kids, he just knew it. Iruka closed his eyes before taking a deep breath in.

And cue Big Head no Jutsu.

"EVERYONE SHUUUT UUUUPPP!" He told the his class, quickly gaining the silence he desired.

His scowl from the Big Head no Jutsu fell into a smirk as he looked at the class. "Alright everyone, you all know what day it is." He said to the class, getting some to excitedly call out and smile. "It's graduation day, the day were you lot become Genin in the Konohagakure Shinobi corps. BUT! Before you can become a shinobi, you will have to get past me! So, everyone get ready for your first graduation test!" He said as several papers filled his hands and an evil smirk crossed his face when he saw the sickening faces of the Genin hopefuls.

"That's right! Prepare for your final exams!"

. . . .

Two, painfully long hours later had Iruka smiling at the exhausted class as the last student turned in his exam. And as that student turned in his papers, Iruka and Mizuki stood from their desks and moved towards the door.

Mizuki turned towards the class and held up his clipboard. "Alright, everyone with last names A-M are with me for the sparring exam, Naruto, you go with Iruka!" He said before turning to the door and limping towards the outdoor arena.

Hinata stood and started to leave, but a tug on her sleeve stopped her. She looked back and saw Naruto with a confident smirk. The blond held her gaze for a second before letting go and nodding to her. He brought his hands and held two thumbs up before bumping his fists together twice.

'Good luck!'

Hinata smiled at her friend, her confidence rising exponentially as she nodded back to him and walked from the room with her head held high.

Iruka watched the two's interaction and couldn't help the smile that came to his face. He let out a small sigh as he looked to the remaining students in the class. "Aright! Follow me for the Bukijutsu Exam!" He ordered in a happy tone before striding out of the class and towards the target field.

. . . .

Hinata stood off to the side with Kiba and Shino as they waited for their turn to spar. She never really had any problems with Kiba, other than when he tried to be a little too forward. And she got along with Shino just fine as he never really talked much, but when he did he was very polite. So, out of this group she could say she had a few 'friends'.

"Man~ Come on Mizuki-sensei! I wanna fight something!" Kiba whined to their teacher as the third spar ended. Mizuki looked at the Inuzuka with a slight scowl before sighing deeply.

"Fine, Inuzuka and Akimichi, get in the ring." He said with a lazy wave of his hand.

Hinata looked at Mizuki with an odd stare. She knew he and Naruto hated each other, for whatever reason. Sure at the start of school the guy was outright cruel to her friend, but he just seemed to mellow out over the last four years.

What she didn't know about Mizuki's 'mellowing out', was that he was paid a special visit from a few dutiful ANBU and was...persuaded to take it easy with the blond.

Kiba smirked as he walked into the ring, watching as Choji sighed and hesitantly walk into the ring. The feral preteen picked up his dog from his place in his jacket and placed him on the ground. "Alright Akamaru, you sit this one out." He told his ninken, earning a yip of acknowledgement from the dog. Akamaru turned from the ring and ran over to Hinata and Shino, taking a seat on the ground next to the Hyuuga Heiress.

Kiba rolled his neck as Choji settled into his clan's Taijutsu stance. Mizuki looked between the two before raising his hand. "Hajime!" He exclaimed as he lowered his hand and stepped back out of the ring.

Kiba snarled and lowered himself onto all fours. "Shikyaku no Jutsu!" The Inuzuka said as he smirked with a feral snarl. Choji took a sharp breath in before letting it slowly out, his eyes hardening as he prepared. "I'm not going to hold back Kiba, this is too important." He said with conviction.

Kiba snorted as he tensed his legs to leap forward. "Psh, yeah whatever. I'm still gonna kick you flabby ass." He snarled out before dashing forwards. In a single leap he closed the gap between him and the Akimichi and brought up his clawed hand for a swipe to the face.

Choji ducked just in time for the swipe to swing just over his head before he brought up his right for a punch to Kiba's gut, knocking the wind out of the smaller boy and sending him to the ground a few feet away. Kiba rolled with the hit and slipped up to his feet with a snarl.

"Lucky...shot…" he coughed out and returned to his all fours stance. He dashed to the Akimichi's side and made a half circle around him to find an opening. Once he used his superior speed to get behind the larger boy, he dashed in with his clawed hands raised and ready to slash out. "Tsuga!" He roared as he slashed out at the boy. Choji jumped to his right, dodging Kiba's first slash, but was hit across his chest with the second.

The larger boy hissed in pain as he felt the claws dig into his flesh and knock him onto his back. Kiba slid to a stop and leapt at the down boy. He brought his hands down at Choji, but the Akimichi rolled out of the way in time to dodge the boy and kicked out with his left, catching Kiba in the side and sending him rolling to the edge of the ring.

Choji and Kiba both quickly got to their feet and dashed forwards at each other. Kiba swiped with his right, only for his arm to be caught at the wrist. Choji turned and slung Kiba over his shoulder and onto the ground, hard. The air left Kiba's lungs as a fist was brought down on his stomach from the larger boy.

Choji was about to follow up with a second punch, but Kiba lashed out with a kick, catching Choji in the forehead and sending him staggering back. Kiba rolled to his feet and made to tackled the larger boy. But as he knocked into him, he failed to realize how close to the edge of the ring they were, sending both of them out of bounds.

Mizuki raised his hand and ended the match. "That's it! Draw!" He exclaimed to the two Genin hopefuls. Kiba looked around and back to where he and Choji were in disbelief.

"Dammit!" He howled out and got off of Choji. The larger boy just stood up with a wince, rubbing his forehead were a welt started to form.

"Good fight Kiba." he said and walked away.

Kiba shrugged his shoulders and walked away as well. "Yeah yeah, I guess it was okay." He grumbled as he returned to Hinata and Shino. Akamaru barked happily as he jumped back onto Kiba and settled himself down onto of the boy's head. Shino turned to him and nodded his head. "Well fought Kiba-san." He congratulated the Inuzuka, earning a grumble of acceptance.

Hinata turned to him and was about to congratulate him as well, but Mizuki's voice cut her off before she could.

"Alright, next fight. Haruno and Hyuuga, get in here." He said lazily. The pink haired girl smirked as she entered the ring, looking confidently at the shy Hyuuga Heiress.

Hinata took a deep breath before her eyes hardened and entered the ring. "Well, here I go…"

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued….**

 **Bulba Fett: Wow, back to this chapter again. Man, it feels like forever ago when this first came out, since this chapter came out the day after I first posted "The First Immortal", which then quickly climbed into my top story position. Currently with nearly 2400 follows, almost 2000 favorites, and over 300,000 views. Still don't know why it's as popular as it is, but eh? Why look a gift horse in the mouth amirite?**

 **Almost time for new content! Ugh, my body is not ready for the work, but I signed up for this shit! And I'll see it done!**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: We in no way own Naruto...Ya'll need to remember that…**

. . . .

The Twice Caged Bird

. . . .

Chapter 11: Matches and Brawls

. . . .

" _Alright, next fight. Haruno and Hyuuga, get in here." He said lazily. The pink haired girl smirked as she entered the ring, looking confidently at the shy Hyuuga Heiress._

 _Hinata took a deep breath before her eyes hardened and entered the ring. "Well, here I go…"_

. . . .

Iruka led his group of students over to the target range and turned to them while looking at his clipboard. "Alright everyone, you all know the drill. You will each get three Kunai and three Shuriken to throw at the targets. You will be graded on your accuracy, precision, and the difficulty of the throw. So, you could miss the bullseye, but, if all three of the blades are in a close knit group, it could very well not matter. Also, you can choose to throw one at a time, two at a time, or all three at once. Of course, these throws count towards the difficulty. So, if you can, then throw all three for the best score possible." He explained to the students in his group.

Iruka looked back to his clipboard before moving off to the side and picking up two boxes.

Iruka set the boxes down and opened them showing an assortment of Kunai and Shuriken in each box. He looked back to his class and grinned. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

The first few groups of students that went up were mainly civilian children. They either scored low, or in the average range. Very few managed to get more than one of their blades in bullseye, and even fewer were able to keep the blades in groups.

Naruto watched boredly as kid after kid did, at least in his mind, poorly. " _By the Sage this is awful…"_ he mentally whined. " _I mean, honestly. If ya can't hit the target after four years, what the hell are you even doing here!?"_

" _ **Yeah, I'm with you on this one. Seriously, what have they been doing all this time?"**_ Kurama added with a raised eyebrow, completely confused on how they could be this bad. " _ **You humans are either monsters, or completely useless. There is no in between with any of you!"**_

Naruto nodded along with what his tenant was saying before a loud voice cut off his thoughts. "Hey~ Sasuke-kun~! Wish me luck~" Yamanaka Ino said as she went up and held all three of her Kunai in her hand. She lifted her arm after giving the, now proclaimed by Naruto and his friends, Emo King a sultry wink before turning to the target. She let out a low breath before taking aim and releasing the blades. She didn't hit the bullseye, but she did manage to get all of her Kunai to make a triangle around it, just on the circles border.

"See that Sasuke-kun. Aren't I just the best~?" She said as she readied her Shuriken and managed to stick two of the blades in the bullseye, with one just on its border.

Naruto blinked a few times, taken aback that she actually did well. " _Huh...guess she isn't just all talk like the rest of the fangirl group…"_ he mused. So far, Ino had the highest score out of the groups that had gone.

" _ **Most likely because she's a Clan Heiress. Clans usually don't take well to their Heirs being weak. Thought you'd know that by now…"**_ Kurama supplied, making Naruto frown.

" _Don't remind me...I wonder how Hinata-chan is doing…"_

. . . .

"Alright, Haruno, you ready?" Mizuki asked with a look to the pinkette. Sakura gave Hinata a confident smirk and nodded her head, entering the basic Academy Taijutsu stance. Mizuki rolled his eyes at the girls bravado and turned to Hinata. "Ready?" He asked the Heiress.

Hinata took a deep breath before entering the Hyuuga clan's Taijutsu stance, the Jyuuken. She gave the Chuunin a curt nod and Mizuki raised his hand. " _Well, look who found some confidence…"_ Mizuki mused before lowering his hand.

"Hajime!"

Sakura's smirk grew wider when Hinata refused to take the first move and advanced. "Nothing personal Hinata. But I can't do poorly, even if Sasuke-kun isn't watching me. So sorry if I hurt you too much!" The pink haired girl called out as she rushed forward with her right fist cocked back.

Once within range, Sakura let her fist fly, only for it to be deflected by the white eyed girls palm. "What the…" Sakura said before she was cut off by a palm crashing into her side, sending her sliding across the ground on her feet. Sakura reached for her side in pain and looked up at the normally shy Hyuuga in shock. "Wha..what the hell? When did you get so strong?" She asked in shock.

Hinata's only response was to raise her hands in a defensive stance, again not taking the initiative in the fight. Her Byakugan eyes active and calculating what her opponents next move would be.

Sakura's right eye began to twitch as she was ignored and began to grit her teeth. "Oh yeah, I see how it is. Alright then, have it your way!" She roared as she charged the girl again. She raised her fist again, but this time, instead of letting loose a punch, she fell to the ground and made a sliding leg sweep.

She was able to catch the indigo haired teen and knock her to the ground, but before she could follow through with her attack, her opponent rolled on her back and landed in a crouching position, ready to lunge at the pink haired girl.

Hinata pounced at the recovering girl, her right palm raised and ready to strike. Once she thrust out with her hand, Sakura brought up her arms to try and defend herself, only to feel a sharp pain run through her arm as she was sent sliding back yet again. The pink haired girl seethed in pain as a large bruise already started to form on her right forearm. She had tears in the corners of her eyes as she glared daggers at her indigo haired opponent.

"You bitch…" she growled lowly as she stood back up, holding her bruised arm a little closer to her body with her left raised in front of her. "I'm going to enjoy this more than I think I should…" she breathed before her legs tensed, readying to jump at the girl.

But before she could leave the ground, a hand grabbed the neck of her shirt, keeping her in place.

"That's enough. Hinata wins. Sakura, go to the infirmary to get your arm looked at." Their Chuunin instructor ordered as Hinata let out a low breath before turning around to go back to her small group of friends.

At this point, Sakura was seeing red, and was NOT going to take this lying down. She growled as she shook off Mizuki's hand and started walking towards the Academy building. However, on her way there, the path she decided to take, just so happened to go right by Hinata. And before anyone could react, the pink haired girl planted her good fist into the Heiress' stomach, making the girl's eyes bulge. Hinata fell to her knees coughing as she held her gut in pain.

Kiba and Shino both recoiled in shock from what their classmate had done, while the rest of the class gasped in shock. Mizuki cursed under his breath, both at the situation he had, and for the fact that he would be too slow to stop it from going further ever since he was crippled.

But before Sakura could hit the girl again, a hand grabbed her wrist, and a loud snap was heard, hushing the shocked Genin hopefuls that were watching.

The pink haired girl screamed in pain as she fell to the ground holding her wrist, tears streaming freely down her face. Once people began to get over their shock, they looked to the one who defended Hinata.

Naruto was crouched next to the still coughing girl, his hands on the girl's shoulders, helping her to stand. Worry written into his eyes as he looked at his friend and charge. Just as he was able to get Hinata to stand, Iruka showed up in a blur of motion and looked at Sakura's prone and weeping form. He cursed under his breath and went to check on her.

While Iruka was checking on Sakura, the rest of his group showed up and were watching what had happened. Ino walked up to the front of the group to get a better view of what was going on. The blond gasped when she saw her one time friend, and now rival in love, crying on the floor while Iruka was trying to help her.

She turned to the nearest member of the Sasuke fan club and gave her a stern look. "What happened?" She asked the girl, making her snapped over to the blond.

"O-Oh! Uh, S-Sakura sorta sucker punched Hinata after the fight ended, and then the creepo appeared and broke her wrist!" She explained, she was about to continue before Ino brushed the girl off and marched over to where Naruto was.

She had a glare etched into her face as she stood right next her fellow blond. "What the hell was that about you fucking psycho!?" She asked before she tried to slap him across the face, only for him to catch her arm and glare at her. A look of panic came across her eyes as the blond boy snarled at her and pushed her back.

"Hurt me...I can handle...Hurt Hinata…" he growled out before letting his hardly ever used voice fade, the threatening tone of his voice enough to finish his thought on the matter. Ino shivered under his glare, and she could have sworn that his pupils turned into slits for a moment. She shakily nodded and backed away while Mizuki limped over to the gathered group of kids.

"Alright everyone, nothing to see here. Let's get on with the Exams." He said as he started to herd his group away. "Iruka, are you done with the target range?" He asked over his shoulder.

Iruka turned his head to his assistant.

"Yeah!" He called as he started to help Sakura up. Mizuki nodded and looked at his clipboard.

"Alright, everyone in my group let's move on. Those of you who did not complete this part of the exam can make it up after we're done with the target range." He said to his group, earning no complaints from the kids. He thought they had enough drama for one day and wanted to move on.

Naruto looked Hinata with worry before she looked up and smiled at him. "I-I'm fine Naruto-kun." She said to her friend and guard. When she noticed his disbelieving expression she sighed and started to go with her group. "I mean it. I-I'm really fine Naruto-kun." She said before he started to ask her something.

'Did you win?' He signed to her. She smirked in an uncharacteristic show of confidence and nodded before she started to walk away. Naruto smiled broadly before he stopped her with his voice.

"Good..work Hinata-chan…"

She turned to him and blinked a few times in shock before she smiled and hurried on her way.

As soon as Iruka returned from dropping Sakura off at the infirmary, he looked to his clipboard and sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with." He mumbled to himself and looked up. "First fight, Ino, vs Shizuku." He said gaining the two girls attentions.

With Ino already being pissed off, the fight didn't last long before she knocked Shizuku from the ring and won her match. Iruka blinked a few times as he watched the tenacity the blond girl had. She NEVER showed that much skill during the four years they had been in the Academy and to say he was surprised was an understatement.

Naruto winced as he watched the fight and was thankful for the fact that he had the equivalent of ten years worth of training already due to the training he had been doing with Kurama. Because without that, he might have actually feared the girls womanly rage.

Even the object of most of the girls attention, Sasuke, was impressed by the fact that the girl hadn't even called out to him to watch or anything. Of course, his face was still set in a slight scowl from his loss to Naruto in the previous exam. The blond had nailed the bullseye in the head of the target, as well as the chest with all of his blades while throwing the three Kunai and Shuriken all at the same time. Sasuke hit the bullseye with everything too, but it at least took him two throws. He had come to terms that the blond had outclassed him _years_ ago, but he was still a little annoyed that he still hadn't been able to catch up yet.

After Iruka called the match, group after group started to go by. Naruto fell back into his bored state of watching and complaining that the civilian kids all _sucked_ and wondering what they were all doing there.

He did get a 'kick' out of how Shikamaru beat his opponent though.

The kid was at least a good foot taller than the lazy boy, but after a few dodges and a swift kick to the man purse, the situation was quickly reversed. After the poor boy was immobilized, the Nara gently rolled him out of the ring while muttering a few 'sorrys' and a 'troublesome' about the boy's weight.

Iruka just sighed at the fight and shook his head while most of the other guys were unconsciously protecting themselves. While it was frowned upon, in an actual fight, a nut shot was in fact aloud, and heavily encouraged to get out of any sticky situation. So he had to give him props on the fact he took his opponent down in the fastest and easiest way possible.

Naruto gave his friend a smirk before getting a fist bump out of the boy. He was prepared to go back to being bored, but it seemed like his boredom was about to be over.

"Alright everyone, last match. Naruto vs Sasuke." He said to the class, earning some cheers from the Uchiha fanclub. "Yeah Sasuke-kun!" "Good luck Sasuke-kun!" "Beat that weird quiet creep up Sasuke-kun!" "For Sakura!" "Sasuke~~!" Were a few examples.

Naruto flinched from all of the squealing and tried to clean out his sensitive ears to try and be able to hear again. Sasuke didn't look any better as a twitch decided to show up in his right eye from his annoyance. The two boys sighed before they looked at each other with serious expressions. They both let out low breaths as they settled into their prefered fighting stances and their gazes hardened.

Sasuke entered the starting stance to the Intercepting Fist of the Uchiha clan, while his blond opponent entered his defensive stance which was still unknown to the Uchiha and most, if not all, of the onlookers. So far no one had been able to figure the boy's fighting style out, or learn the name of it.

The style was a highly defensive style that used more of a read and react approach, using mainly the knees and elbows to deflect attacks if they aren't dodged all together. But the strange thing was that it could be used in an offensive style as well. The blond would charge at his opponent relentlessly while using a rotating approach, never staying directly in front of his opponent and trying as hard as possible to land blows in any opening that was available.

Sasuke gulped lightly as he prepared himself. He knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of this style, and he need to prepare for some pain. Iruka raised his hand before looking at the two to see if they were ready. Once he saw what he needed he lowered his hand.

"Hajime!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blond and began to slowly circle around him, his guard remaining up and alert. The blond remained motionless as the raven haired boy circled him. Once Sasuke was behind the boy, he charged, thinking he had an opening.

But he wasn't overconfident.

He came to a sliding stop, just in time to bring his guard up to deflect a slashing knife hand from Naruto. The Raven haired boy ducked under the second strike and tried to enter Naruto's guard with a quick rising uppercut, but missed his attack and was treated with a knee in the side of his hip, sending him staggering away.

Before he could regain his balance his blond opponent drove a foot into the back of his knee, sending him to the ground. Sasuke, however, used this to gain distance from the boy and rolled with the kick. Once he go back to his feet he narrowly evaded another slash that was aimed for his throat and made a near vertical kick, gaining a glancing blow on his blond opponent's chin.

The Sasuke Fan Club began to cheer in excitement when they saw the blond start to fall to the ground, but unlike the rest of them, Ino knew what was happening. The boy wasn't staggered by the kick, no. He was falling on purpose.

Naruto went to the ground quickly, but landed on his hands and performed a double leg sweep on the open Uchiha, sending the boy crashing to the ground. Once the sweep was done, Naruto was back on his feet and standing over the downed Uchiha. The blond dropped to a knee and made a punching motion at the Uchiha's face, showing that he could end the fight right there.

And he did. With that motion Iruka stepped in. "Stop! The match is over. Winner, Hyuuga Naruto!" He called as Naruto stood back up and grinned at the groaning Uchiha in good humor. The blond offered the raven haired boy a hand up, which Sasuke took after a small second of hesitation.

Naruto began to sign something to the Uchiha that Sasuke couldn't understand. But before he could ask, Iruka stepped in and translated for him. "He's saying it was a good fight. And that you were the first person to land a hit on him in three years." The teacher translated while Naruto nodded along with a large grin.

The boy offered his index and middle finger to Sasuke in a show of camaraderie. And the raven haired boy offered his as well, a small smirk spread across his face. "Yeah, it was a good fight…"

. . . .

Itachi looked at the two aspiring Shinobi with a small smile, happy that at least someone was able to get any form of emotion other than a scowl out of the boy. From his hiding place, he, Inu, and Neko watched as their blond charge moved back to the group of Genin hopefuls.

"That was a pretty good display from Sasuke, you're teaching him well Karasu." Inu said while Neko nodded in agreement.

"Thank you Inu-senpai. But, Sasuke-kun usually trains on his own ever since...that day. I'm able to get him to cooperate with me some days, but others he just flat out refuses my advice." Itachi responded with a shake of his head.

Inu nodded in thought while Neko sighed. "Might be that Uchiha pride you used to complain about, Karasu. Maybe you should be a bit more forceful with him?" The purple haired ANBU said, earning a nod from her two partners.

"Maybe I should...But I don't think I could train him enough to catch up to Naruto-kun at this point." he responded with a sigh before turning to Inu. "Seriously Inu, what are you teaching him? I still haven't figured out where you got that Taijutsu style from, but whatever it is, it's scarey how well it suits him."

"Actually...about that…" Inu said with a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I uh...I haven't taught him a thing about Taijutsu. All I've done is deliver the jutsu scrolls that Hokage-sama wanted him to have and sometimes gave him pointers on what to do. Where he learned all that he has is beyond me."

"Impossible. There's no way Naruto could be this good without someone teaching him. And I sure as hell doubt any of the Hyuuga could, or would for that matter, teach him this style." Neko said in frustration. She would have gone on with her rant, were it not for the students moving into the building, signaling for them to continue on with their assignment.

"Well, either way, we need to move on." Inu said as he silently leapt from his place within the shadows, quickly followed by his two companions. They moved through the bustling village with a hushed grace that only those with years of training, and sheer natural skill could ever hope to achieve. Hopping from roof to roof, unnoticed by any of the roaming eyes that filled the village below them.

. . . .

And a few moments of silent travel, the three finally made it to their destination.

It was a training field just outside of the village. One that was hardly ever used due to the poorly maintained field, the damaged environment, and the fact that it was directly next to the most dangerous training field in Konoha. This was the 43 Training field, and it was now the meeting place for Konoha's higher ups.

Nara Shikaku stood with his fellow Clan heads and former teammates, Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi, as they waited for the rest of their merry band of shinobi to gather.

Along with the arrival of Inu, Karasu, and Neko, came a group of three Inuzuka, lead by their clan head, Inuzuka Tsume.

"So, is everyone here?" Shikaku whispered as the groups came together, keeping his voice as low as possible to keep any unwanted ears that may or may not be listening from catching anything that would be said.

Seeing a nod from the people gathered Shikaku sighed as he began to speak once more. "Alright then, you all know the plan...but...there has been an...update to how we're gonna have to go about this."

"What do you mean?" Tsume asked in hushed annoyance. They had been planning this for over a year now, what could have possibly been important enough to make them change?

"There have been reports about strange movements happening in Suna. As well as the formation of that new village, Oto I believe is what it's called, Hokage-sama is becoming worried. So he's doubled up on our border defences…" he started to explain before Inoichi chimed in.

"So you're saying that we're not going to have enough people here in the village to get away with it, unless we want to risk the _entire_ village as a whole by keeping our borders open?"

"Precisely." Shikaku sighed out as he pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

"So, what do we do? We can't just stop now, we're too far in to back out now." Choza said in his usual gruff voice, although, it was lined with worry.

"Well, that isn't all the that has me worried this won't work out." Shikaku continued. "And I'm certainly not saying we give up. But, we might have to delay our advance. Along with those past few reports, word has it that _he_ is still around somewhere in Hi no Kuni. Now, why he would risk staying here when he has so few of his own forces left, along with the fact that we have most of our ANBU out searching for him is beyond me. But with his presence still in the country, we can't afford to go into this haphazardly. We need a plan in case he's still in contact with them somehow."

"Then we wait." A new voice called out from the behind the group.

Initially on guard, the group of Shinobi spun on their heels, drawing their weapons and readying jutsu to engage the intruder. However, they stopped in their tracks once they noticed who it was.

"We wait for them to show their hand, and then crush them once they think they're safe." Hyuuga Hiashi said as he walked over to the group of conspirators. "They're not going to like the fact that Naruto-kun is going to pass his Genin exams, and they will be absolutely furious when the Chunin Exams come around. By then I believe we will have all the information we need to take them down, along with whatever _Danzo_ has planned." The Hyuuga patriarch seethed at the mention of the traitor. How he had survived the encounter with the Hokage and his ANBU was beyond him, but the rat was still out there, and he was plotting something.

"So, that's it? We wait for the shit to hit the fan and see if we can handle it?" Tsume growled out, annoyed with the change of plans. They should have just invaded the damn place and killed those old fools, but _no~_ , they had to do all this back door shit and _wait_ for the right time. ' _To avoid civilian crossfire'_ as the Nara clan head had put it.

"I think that may be our only option." Shikaku cut in once more. "Remember, they still have the seal on Naruto, if they ever caught wind about this, they would just kill the boy and flee to whatever safe houses they have hidden away. We are going to have to wait."

"I thought Jiraiya-sama was working on a way around the seal? It's been nearly a year since he was given the notes on it." Choza asked in confusion, wondering why they hadn't already done something about this.

"It isn't as simple as removing the seal, or placing another seal on top of it to deactivate it." Hiashi sighed out. "The Hyuuga Clan has been perfecting the Caged Bird Seal for over a century. We have found ways to keep our enemies from removing the seal, as well as to keep the seal active no matter what. Even our own Seal Masters cannot find a way to remove the seal, without outright killing the subject."

"So, along with Jiraiya-sama's current mission, and all the things currently going on with Kumo's borders, I think it's safe to say he hasn't really had the time to delve too far into the seal." Inoichi voiced his opinion before bringing a hand up and running it through his hair. "Inu, can you bring this issue up with Hokage-sama, maybe get a report on how his progress with the seal is going?"

Inu hummed in thought before he nodded. "Yes, I think Jiraiya's biweekly report in due soon, so I might be able to snatch it while no one is looking and copy what we need."

"Good, then all that's left is to wait…"

. . . .

Releasing the smoke from his lungs, Hiruzen couldn't help a small chuckle as he watched the group of shinobi's _private_ meeting from the crystal ball that sat upon his desk. "Well, all you needed to do was ask, Kakashi-kun. But, I guess it wouldn't do to have me openly conspire against one of our own clans…" he mumbled to himself as he stood up from his seat and moved to the windows behind him, taking a deep breath as he looked out to the village below.

"A storm is coming...with the skirmishes with Kumo finally dying down, I need to keep an eye out for any vultures trying to cash in on our momentary weakness…" He mumbled to himself before taking another deep drag from his pipe.

Letting out the toxic fumes, he sighed as his eyes went over to the Shinobi Academy.

"Naruto...I wish you luck in the events about to unfold…"

. . . .

 **(A/N): To be continued…**

 **Bulba Fett: Sorry about not getting this out sooner. Had a little problem with my recruiter I had to sort out, along with the fact that the original chapter was** _ **barely**_ **3000 words long :/ Had to think of something to add in to make it longer, and hey, ya got the meeting between the clan heads trying to find a way to get Naruto out of trouble :3**

 **Anyway, next chapter it finally NEW CONTENT! YAY! I'll try to think of an updating schedule after I post Chapter 12, just to see how long it'll take me to write it and plan accordingly.**

 **And now that I've caught up on this, I think I'm gonna try and make an actual schedule for my stories again and stop being a lazy shitlord about all this.**

 **Anyway,**

 **Remember to REVIEW! And like always, we'll see ya next time!**


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